Jack Grealish surprises schoolboy superfan with call after World Cup celebration
Grealish marked his goal for England against Iran with a dance in honour of 11-year-old Finlay Fisher who suffers from cerebral palsy
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Jack Grealish on Tuesday made a surprise call to the young fan who inspired his World Cup goal celebration.
Grealish had promised to perform a ‘wave arms’ celebration for Finlay Fisher when he scored his next goal after meeting the 11-year-old schoolboy, who has cerebral palsy, earlier this month.
The 27-year-old kept his word after coming on as a substitute to score England’s final goal in the 6-2 win over Iran.
Upon answering the phone, Finlay told the Manchester City star: “I thought you’d forgotten!”
The City and England fan wrote to his favourite player earlier this year and referenced Grealish’s close bond with his sister Holly, who also has cerebral palsy.
During the call, tweeted by England, Grealish revealed: “I nearly scored last week against Chelsea and thought ‘I’m going to do it for him tonight’, but I didn’t score.
“I didn’t think I was going to score yesterday because the game was a bit gone by the time I came on, but I was buzzing to get a goal and then I could do my little celebration just for you.
“You were always in the back of my mind, mate. I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments