Despite promising to bring the cat back if they remained in the World Cup, the Three Lions have appeared to be more attached to their feline friend.
England’s 26-man squad is returning home with an additional member, Dave the stray cat, which the team made friends with at their training base in Doha, PA media reported on Sunday.
Manchester City players Kyle Walker and John Stones became friends with the cat and were seen pictured with their new feline friend at Al Wakrah.
“He was just there one day so we’ve just adopted him, me and Stonesy,” Walker told the football association’s official media channel.
Dave will catch up with his friends in four months as he needs to head to a local veterinary clinic to quarantine and receive required vaccines.
The England team’s return home comes after their crushing defeat against 2018 World Cup champion France on Saturday at a 2-1 score.
Dave has also been the centre of press questions and came up in a press conference last week with the Three Lions. The team had planned on taking the trophy home if they remained in the World Cup, but the bond Walker shares with the cat has proven to be stronger.
The heartwarming move has also displayed a stark difference to the way a cat was handled earlier this month at Brazil’s press conference. The briefing was interrupted by a cat who sat on the table of forward VinĂcius Junior before being moved and dropped the ground.
People were left shocked by the way he handled the feline, which was lifted by its scruff and dropped to the floor.
