Harry Maguire and his England teammate James Maddison were spotted in a controversial Dubai Zoo After World Cup Exit.
England exited the 2022 World Cup in the quarterfinals after losing 2-1 to finalist France.
Despite the loss, the Three Lions were tipped as the most promising team in the tournament bulging with young and untapped football talents.
The team opened their campaign with a resounding 6-2 win over Iran before settling for a goalless draw against the USA.
They defeated Wales in the Battle of Britain to win the group and emerged as one of the best teams in the group stages of the tournament.
In the round of 16, the team walloped African champions 3-0 but lost to France in the quarterfinals.
Manchester United center-back Harry Maguire was on top of his game. Despite having less playing time at Manchester United after Lisandro Martinez joined the team from Ajax, Maguire proved critics wrong and justified his inclusion in the World Cup squad with a brilliant display in all five World Cup matches.
After the World Cup exit, Harry Maguire and teammate decided to have a short holiday in Dubai, visiting a controversial zoo.
The two Premier League stars enjoyed a short holiday in the Middle East, where the tournament was hosted, before heading back to their respective clubs – Manchester United and Leicester City – for Premier League resumption.
The two players visited Fame Park, a divisive zoo full of exotic animals.
Maguire’s Red Devils team-mate Scott McTominay was also spotted in the zoo, sparking a backlash from animal activists, who slammed the players for playing with wildlife captured and bred for recreational purposes.
Katheryn Wise of World Animal Protection said at the time: “It’s disappointing. These incredible animals are not commodities to gain likes on social media.
“Captive wild animals face a lifetime of suffering just for the enjoyment of tourists. Wild animals are not ours to exploit. They belong in the wild.”
Sceneries of the players’ visit were shared on social media by Dubai-based entrepreneur Saif Ahmad Belhasa.
Harry Maguire was seen playing with a lot of animals in the zoo.
Belhasa wrote: “It was my great pleasure having a player of Manchester United @harrymaguire93 with his family at our @fame.park.”
Harry Maguire donned a black baseball cap, Dior T-shirt, grey shorts, and sliders. He was beaming with smiles while he snapped with the animals.
The 29-year-old held multiple exotic birds and even wrapped himself in an enormous snake.
He also appeared to feed a giant bear and sat down with several baby monkeys.
Maguire and Maddison both posed with Belhasa for a snap by the entrance to the zoo.
While the former also stood for another snap holding a ball with Belhasa on a football pitch
A lot of footballers have paid visits to the zoo for Holidays due to the exotic breeds of wildlife in the zoo.
Portugal and AC Milan forward Rafael Leao, Sergino Dest, Swiss aces Breel Embolo and Ismail Jakobs, as well as Brentford’s Saman Ghoddos, have visited the zoo.
Meanwhile, Harry Maguire has been tipped by his manager Erik Ten Hag to replicate his World Cup form at Old Trafford as he returns to the team for Premier League resumption.
