England football player Jack Grealish has shared his heartwarming call with the young fan that inspired his World Cup goal celebration.
The Manchester City player made the sixth score of England's first match at the World Cup against Iran, seeing a total score of 6-2.
Grealish had previously promised 12-year-old fan Finlay when they met before he headed off to Qatar that he would do a little dance if he scored as part of his celebration.
The celebration sees the player go into a wriggly dance with his arms spread apart.
Now with celebrations having taken place, Grealish surprised Finlay with a video call.
When @JackGrealish scored his first World Cup goal, he stayed true to his promise.
— England (@England) November 22, 2022
Today, Jack made a call to Finlay to talk about that special celebration ❤️ pic.twitter.com/jtgdJ2fOoZ
As Finlay told the player "I liked your goal" Grealish replied, "Nah you liked the celebration more."
Telling the young fan that "you're famous now" to which Finlay replied, "I know I've been everywhere."
Thinking that he would forget the celebration dance, Grealish told Finlay he couldn't and that he "was always in the back of my mind."
What's the reason behind Jack Grealish's World Cup goal celebration?
Jack Grealish chose his celebration after meeting a young fan with cerebral palsy as part of a Premier League initiative called 'Fan Mail' which saw Grealish travel to the boy's local amateur club to surprise him.
The fan, named Finlay, originally wrote to Grealish, saying: “I wish there were more people in the world just like you who treat people with disabilities the same as anyone else."
“It makes me really happy when I see that you, a famous footballer, knows what it’s like to live with people with cerebral palsy.
“You’re my hero and the best big brother to your sister.”
The midfielder was "really touched" by the letter and wrote back, telling Finlay: "Thank you for saying kind words about me being a good brother to my sister" before sending him a signed Manchester City shirt.
When the two finally met, Grealish said he would do any goal celebration of the 11-year-old's choosing at the World Cup.
The footballer refused Finaly's first choice, saying "I can’t do the worm" before agreeing to the arm-waving celebration.
8 months on, Grealish stuck to his promise at football's largest competition.
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