A young England supporter was “amazed” to see Jack Grealish devote his celebration to him after scoring against Iran in yesterday’s World Cup match in Qatar.
Grealish honored his commitment to Finlay, 11, who suffers from cerebral palsy, by performing the ‘worm’ celebration after scoring England’s sixth goal in the 89th minute of their opening encounter in Doha.
When they met last week, the Manchester City player informed Finlay that he would perform the celebration on his behalf. Finlay had sent Grealish a letter praising him for raising awareness of cerebral palsy, a disease that impairs mobility and coordination.
Finlay, who plays handicap football for Manchester City and idolizes the England star, had his dream come true.
Finlay stated on BBC’s Today: ‘At first, I didn’t believe he would remember, but when he did, I was ecstatic.
I believed he would forget, yet he kept his pledge and remained faithful. I was simply amazed.
The England superfan said that he was confident the Three Lions will win the World Cup after their opening 6-2 victory against Iran.
Jack Grealish honored his pledge to a fan with cerebral palsy by devoting his goal against Iran to him by performing the arm ‘worm’ celebration.
The Manchester City player met Finlay, an 11-year-old fan who had sent a letter praising him for raising awareness of cerebral palsy, last week.
Jack Grealish has already discussed his tight bond with his 19-year-old sister Hollie, who also has cerebral palsy.
He stated on Good Morning Britain, ‘I wanted to meet Jack Grealish since his sister also has cerebral palsy, so he knows how it feels.
When I eventually met him, I was ecstatic because I had a strong desire to seek his counsel and communicate with him.
Finlay also detailed how he fights his condition on a daily basis, stating, ‘You confront many obstacles every day, as you only have one hand to accomplish anything. It might be exhausting, but it can be accomplished.
The following was written in the fan’s letter to Grealish: “To Jack, my name is Finlay and I am 11 years old. I am a passionate admirer of Manchester City and England.
“I have cerebral palsy, and I saw that your sister also has it. Are you an excellent sibling to her?
“I like how nice you are with your sister; you truly grasp it.” You’re usually with her, and you appear really proud. Especially when the league was won.
It added, ‘I wish there were more individuals like you in the world who treat persons with impairments equally to everyone else.
It brings me great joy to learn that you, a famous player, understand what it’s like to live with individuals who have cerebral palsy.
Jack Grealish said on Instagram after the England game that his goal and celebration were “for you Finlay.”
Grealish does the arm ‘worm’ celebration dance following his goal against Iran after making a promise to little Finlay.
Jack Grealish honored his pledge to a fan with cerebral palsy by devoting his goal against Iran to him by performing the arm ‘worm’ celebration.
Finlay instructed Jack Grealish to execute a particular celebration if he scored a goal during the World Cup.
The boy stated that he enjoyed playing football but mentioned some of the obstacles he encountered, such as not being able to locate the proper football footwear and being slower than his friends owing to impaired mobility.
He continued, “Even though he loves [Manchester] United, my father is really generous and takes me to Man City on Mondays to exercise.” He never lets me win when we play in the garden, but I will one day.
Finlay penned, “I can’t move as quickly as my head perceives the pass.” I’m not always chosen because I’m slow or because I’m put in goal; thus, I become really agitated, lose my anger, become upset, and then get in trouble.
He said, “I hope you receive this letter, as you are my idol and your sister’s best older brother.
Because I cannot hand shake, it is my desire to meet you and offer you a high five.
Grealish, who is 27 years old, organized a meeting with Finlay and promised that the next time he scored a goal, he would do a dance of Finlay’s choosing on the field.
The 11-year-old was overjoyed when the Manchester City and England star stopped by his training session.
Finlay wrote Jack Grealish a letter as part of the Premier League’s Fan Mail program.
The Manchester City fanatic, shown here with his father enjoying football in the backyard, practices every Monday with the club’s disabilities squad.
Grealish chuckled and stated that he would likely get an injury if he performed the ‘worm’ before promising to perform the arm ‘worm’ instead.
After scoring England’s sixth goal, the player celebrated with his Three Lions teammates and then fulfilled his promise by performing the arm wiggle.
Following the goal, fans were eager to applaud him on social media, calling him “an incredible icon” and “a man of his word.”
Upon seeing the touching event, others said that “tears” welled up in their eyes.
During the video, Grealish discussed his “tight bond” with his sister Hollie, who also has cerebral palsy and is 19 years old.
In his response to Finlay, he praised his 19-year-old younger sister with the words, “I adore her very much.”
He said, “They claimed she wouldn’t be able to talk, walk, or do many things, but here we are and she can do everything.”
Jack disclosed, ‘I am really close with my little sister. Hollie is now 19 years old; she was prematurely born.
The Manchester City player read the letter aloud: “Dear Jack, My name is Finlay and I am 11 years old. I am a passionate admirer of Manchester City and England. I have cerebral palsy and I saw that your sister also has it.
The footballer responded to his young fan’s letter with an autographed football shirt and a letter.
Jack remarked to the camera, ‘I am really close with my younger sister. Now 19 years old, Hollie was born three months prematurely.
They predicted that she wouldn’t be able to speak, walk, or do many other things, yet here we are and she can do everything.
‘Of course I adore her very much, and I believe I am a decent older sibling to her,’ he joked.
Grealish has previously discussed his bond with his younger sister Hollie, writing on Instagram on her birthday, “Keep being the lovely little girl you are.”
In an effort to promote more diversity in sports, he was chosen a key ambassador for the Special Olympics GB earlier this year.
He stated, “I’ve been pondering for quite some time how I might best use the platform football has afforded me to effect a positive change, and it has to be something very personal to me.”
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