Jack Grealish dedicated his goal celebration in England s rampant 6-2 thrashing of Iran in their World Cup opener to a young fan.
Grealish came off the bench to score the Three Lions sixth in the 90th minute as Gareth Southgate s side got off to a great start in Qatar.
The Manchester City man s dance after scoring caught the attention of fans and he explained after the match it was for 11-year-old City supporter Finlay, who has cerebral palsy, the same condition as Grealish s sister.
In a letter to Grealish earlier this year, Finlay said it would be a dream to meet him, and when the two did meet, the 27-year-old promised to dedicate his next goal to Finlay.
For you Finlay
— Jack Grealish (@JackGrealish)
Grealish told BBC after his strike and celebration against Iran: I met young Finlay before, about a month ago, and got on really well with him obviously having cerebral palsy like my little sister.
He asked me to do a celebration for him and luckily for him, it came at the World Cup. That s what it s all about.
For me, it s just doing a celebration but for him, that ll mean the world to him I m sure, especially at the World Cup. Finlay, that one is for you.
Southgate praised Grealish after the game, telling reporters: He s a lovely human being. He obviously has a situation with his own sister and that would mean that he s very aware of the power he can have.
He s a kind person, so we re very fortunate. We work with a group of players who have a hunger to play, they re a pleasure to work with.
