How recognizable would Jonny Wilkinson be to the average England resident?

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MarionberryNational2@reddit

As both a rugby and football (and general sports) fan, as far as sporting achievements are concerned, no single English footballer has come close to what Jonny Wilkinson has achieved in Rugby.

However the fact is, football is considerably more popular than Rugby.

To answer the question: I doubt most people would recognize him.

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illarionds@reddit

I don't care about or follow football, but I'd immediately recognise Harry Lane.

I don't even know who Jonny Wilkinson is - I certainly don't know what he looks like!

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Additional-Nobody352@reddit

I'm not a big RU fan but could recognise him if he was walking down the street i would recognise him tho.

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I used to go to the same gym as him (admittedly it was the England rugby teams training base) so I saw most of the team regularly but yes I recognised him easily and even got to the point I would get a hi/head nod most times we saw each other.

If you are a rugby fan, I also bumped into the NZ rugby team there during the world cup (they took it over after England were knocked out). Quite cool sitting in a hot tub with Dan Carter!

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Equal_Veterinarian22@reddit

I'm 45 and remember him at his peak. Stick him in an ad like that, kicking a ball over th goalposts and of course I recognise him. Stick him in a shirt and jeans down the pub and I might not. That's nothing to do with his level of fame, he's just kind of generic looking.

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terryjuicelawson@reddit

I think if anyone is going to recognise one England Rugby player, it will be him. Other than I guess if people have seen players outside of the sport like Joe Marler.

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OsotoViking@reddit

I vaguely recognise the name, couldn't put a face to it or tell you who he is though.

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Quinn_XXVII@reddit

Johnny Wilkinson has a World Cup winners medal

Harry Kane won’t ever have one

One of them is vastly overpaid for playing his sport

The other one was a game changer that won England a World Cup

That’s all that matters

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Express-Motor8292@reddit

Don’t be so sure that Kane won’t ever have a World Cup winner medal, considering England’s recent tournament performances and current form. The best teams aren’t always the ones to win medals and England do have a good football team as it is.

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Quinn_XXVII@reddit

2018 was the best chance that England have had since the 2006 QF

2026 aren’t a winning group

The forward line alone is vastly dependent on 1 player

Watkins and Rashford won’t be suddenly top class

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leonjetski@reddit

Ollie Watkins who isn’t even in the current England squad and definitely won’t be starting in England’s “forward line”?

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Quinn_XXVII@reddit

Well that proves a point

We’re so fucking reliant on Kane

If Rashford is the answer, what’s the bloomin’ question ? 😁

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Express-Motor8292@reddit

Hart Kane has lost 5 games in the last two seasons (tho one had nearly finished). I agree, there’s not too much coming up behind him yet, but if he stays fit and we can use him properly then we should do well.

To be honest, I don’t especially care, but I find the narrative about English players that some have to be a bit tired annd out of date these days.

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weedywet@reddit

And I wouldn’t recognise either of them if I bumped into them.

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Quinn_XXVII@reddit

Well you wouldn’t if you didn’t follow the sports they play

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weedywet@reddit

Precisely. Op asked for the average person.

Not for fans.

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elom44@reddit

OP says the average Brit. Well the median age in the uk is 40 so that would make them 18 when Johnny Wilkinson was peak famous.

That World Cup was a reasonably big deal and I remember going to the pub that morning with my dad to watch it. In that moment he was famous, much more with men than women, but way more than a usual rugby player.

Crucially though he’s not maintained a media presence since then. He’s no David Beckham. So I would say for middle aged, middle class blokes, recognition is high. Everyone else would pass him in the street unnoticed.

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MrPogoUK@reddit

I’m 44 with zero interest in rugby, but was exposed to the media coverage at the time. If I passed him in the street I’d probably think “I recognise him from somewhere… maybe someone famous?”, but with context like “Pick out Johnny Wilkinson from this line-up” or even someone telling me he’s a famous rent player would be able to spot/name him.

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pattiemayonaze@reddit

I think the % of people who could recognise him would rocket if he stood in his kicking pose with his hands in their clenched position.. 👏🏻🤝

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No-Friendship-3050@reddit

English 44m. Would recognise both fairly easily I hope. More so Kane but he is current.

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_Cridders_@reddit

I'm 39 and have no real interest in sports, and I reckon I'd recognise him. I can certainly picture what he did look like, if he still looks roughly like that then I reckon so. If it was out of context just down the pub or something......dunno. if he's still big and has a cauliflower ear or two that'd probably get me thinking.

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Nirnroot_Enjoyer@reddit

Oh absolutely.

I'd consider myself a casual rugby fan, as I only watch international games.

Whereas the only rugby player my wife knows is Joe Marler, for obvious reasons!

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D0wnInAlbion@reddit

Harry Kane is the England captain and one of the most famous people in the UK. Most people who don't know anything about football will know who he is.

Wilkinson is the most famous rugby player but most people under 30 won't know who he is. The 2003 World Cup was a long time ago. He's still incredibly well known but nowhere close to Kane.

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Pizzagoessplat@reddit

Good answer I have a feeling in twenty years time Harry Kane would be the same as Wilkinson now.

Anyone under forty would struggle with Wilkinson now and the same will be for Kane

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Blue1994a@reddit

Not sure about that. Prominent England footballers playing internationals 20-25 years ago are better known to the general public than England rugby union players from the same era. Going back further, Gascoigne and Lineker are still better known than Jonny Wilkinson even though their England careers ended sooner.

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oxfordfox20@reddit

Lineker is a bit of an exception-he remained a very prominent broadcaster after retiring from football.

Gazza and Wilkinson I reckon are on a par. Known to fans of their sport, household faces in 1990 and 2003 respectively. Football obviously a bigger game but 13 years is a long time and Wilkinson has more reach than most rugby players for the winning World Cup kick.

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Vaynnie@reddit

1990 is before I was born yet I know Gazza and most of the other prominent players from before I was born.

I had no idea who Wilkinson was on first read of the title, it was only after opening the comments and seeing he was a rugby player that it finally clicked and I just about remember the name.

Football is just on a different level, man.

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weedywet@reddit

I know who he is but I still doubt I’d recognise him

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surfrider0007@reddit

Other way round for me, wouldn’t recognise Kane 😆 Kicks the wrong shaped ball

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Suspicious_Banana255@reddit

Wouldn't know him if I fell over him

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evelynsmee@reddit

I'm a rugby union fan, albeit not an England fan, so yes I know who he is.

I wouldn't be surprised to find most people under 40 if not 50 and certainly those with zero rugby awareness to have no idea who he is.

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prustage@reddit

Never heard of him - or Harry Kane for that matter. Sounds like these are people only football enthusiasts would know. And, we are not all devotees of football.

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evelynsmee@reddit

He's a rugby player in the team that won England its only World Cup.

It was famous at the time, maybe not quite as much as Beckham etc. But that was a long time ago. Outside of the sport, I doubt most people would recognise him these days.

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Medical_Mulberry3230@reddit

Kane looks like Mr Average so I'm guessing lots of none football people would walk past him.

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Away-Ad4393@reddit

Who ?

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Recent-Walrus-3366@reddit

I was trying to think of his name the other day but drew nothing. So to me....not very.

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TellMeItsN0tTrue@reddit

I feel like Wilkinson was everywhere after the England win in 2003. Never been a rugby fan in any of it's iterations but I'd recognise him. Pretty much any other rugby player I wouldn't.

In my early 30s, female and was more of a football fan in 2003. In contrast I seem incapable of matching Harry Kane's face to his name in my head. Admittedly don't care about men's football anymore but Kane seems to be a block for me.

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MidasToad@reddit

Who? Are they related to a popular brand of razors, or a recently bankrupt home goods shop?

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horridbloke@reddit

My vote: the name doesn't ring a bell. I don't watch sport.

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LessRevolution8199@reddit

I used to live down the road from Owen Farrell he used to walk around town without anyone caring when he was serving as England captain

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ddbbaarrtt@reddit

I think that’s the case with the vast majority of famous people to be honest. Unless you get to people who are a-list but they’d never just be out by themselves

Most people don’t bother them or don’t care

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Qwerty_mo-fu@reddit

I don’t like rugby and I know who he is and watched him play

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Kexxa420@reddit

Who?

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jono12132@reddit

Kane would be more recognisable to everyone. He's a current player and football is much bigger than all of the other sports put together.

The world cup winning Union team was quite big after they won and Wilkinson was the face of that team. But Union itself is a niche sport, especially compared to football and it was over 20 years ago when they won. Union doesn't unify the country in the same way football does. A big part of the country doesn't consider Union to be proper Rugby, so people in Rugby League areas might be less likely to remember him.

But Wilkinson did become well known. So I think lots of people would recognise him but not remember his name.

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Ok-Distribution326@reddit

Kane definitely isn’t recognisable to everyone. I’ve heard his name and could probably have told you he was a footballer but I wouldn’t know if he currently played or anything else about him. I might stand a chance of recognising his voice, but only because I think Dead Ringers used to take the piss out of him; I’m not sure I’ve ever heard his actual voice. Just looked up a photo of him and I definitely wouldn’t have recognised his face.

I don’t follow rugby either but Wilkinson’s face was everywhere when he was at his peak and I’d easily recognise him, be able to name him, and be able to say a bit about him with no trouble.

I’m in my mid-30s and probably watched more TV during Wilkinson’s era than I do now, which might have something to do with it. But I also think people often seriously underestimate how little many of us care about football.

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IHoppo@reddit

I wouldn't know Kane from Adam. I'd recognise Wilkinson from a mile away.

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Active_Doubt_2393@reddit

I would recognise him instantly, not not have a clue who harry cane is, so horses for courses I guess.

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iceman2g@reddit

I personally would recognise Jonny but not Harry. I have no interest in either rugby or football, but Jonny's free kick or whatever it was made him ultra high-profile for a short amount of time, as opposed to Harry maintaining a lower profile but for a much more sustained period of time. I'd walk past pretty much all of the England squad for either sport without recognising them, so it takes something big for them to stick in my memory.

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Tennis_Proper@reddit

This mid 50s Scotsman has no idea who either of those people are.

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Are_You_On_Email@reddit

I would say only a minority would recognise Wilkinson in the streets. And even in 2003, I would say really only the people interested in rugby (and those who are associated) with recognise him. Less than a third. He does a bit of pundtary during six nations but not as much as Lawrence dialligio or ugo monye who have a much bigger media presence.

I used to be a season ticket holder for Sarries. And I have seen a couple of retired players (who played for the club while I was a St holder) out and about. And no one else knew who they were. I would not recognise many retired players for other teams.

I was once on the train leaving Twickenham after the double header (two games featuring all 4 "London" teams sarries v wasps, Irish v quins). The train was full of fans of all four London teams and other teams and was a very festive and friendly banter filled train. Sitting across the isle was recently retired sarries player Hugh Vyvyan with his bright red hair, and almost 2metres tall. I recognised him (and he could tell I knew who he was) but clearly no one else did. He tried to slide and hide in his seat as he was trapped there but not easy to do with his size and red hair. So I obviously did not make a point about it.

Yes, he was no where near as famous as Wilko, but highlights that unless you are really into rugby, they are not well known in the uk

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Far_Butterscotch_646@reddit

Who?

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Little_Pink@reddit

I have nothing to do with football so I doubt I’ve ever seen Kane’s face. But the rugby World Cup was huge when we won, and Jonny was the poster boy for it so I would recognise him easily.

So it depends what media people consume I guess.

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AJMurphy_1986@reddit

I think i would have recognised him back in his playing days, no idea how hes aged

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Steamrolled777@reddit

I recognise the name. Wouldn't recognise him in the street. Greatest sporting moments in history? No clue.

If you asked me about British motorsport - different matter.

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Broad-Raspberry1805@reddit

I’m 49m and not into rugby union which is basically a minority sport here in Lancashire. I might recognise him if I saw him on TV but would probably walk past him in the street without doing a double take. Having said that I doubt I could even name more than about two or three of the rest of the team from the World Cup win.

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Maybe 30-40% of males over 50 and of sound mind might recognize him.

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