Not only does men’s care brand Harry’s share a name with an England World Cup hero, said hero has agreed to appear in an ad for it. 1-0!

And it’s a striking, original ad. A single monochrome shot slowly zooms in on our Hal, who balances effortlessly atop a crossbar on a training pitch. He delivers a voiceover monologue about not being afraid: of criticism, to ask for help, to tell his daughters he loves them, and so on.

The ‘I’m not afraid to be myself’ message is commendable, if perhaps not ground-breaking, though it’s still impressive to see a Premier League star making himself vulnerable. Whether his star power compensates for his rather gormless expression and flat delivery, however, is debatable.

More to the point, is Harry’s a well-known enough brand to get away with not mentioning – and barely showing – its products? Maybe a further collaboration might fix this.

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