The Boy who United Football...

All around the world, footballers are loved and adored by people of all ages. They are idolised, admired and hero worshipped. Their names are printed on the back of replica kits, so that young boys and girls can imitate their heroes.

In an age, where the top players can earn millions of pounds for simply kicking a ball around, they also take on a responsibility for those that love them. One such player who took his responsibility as a role model to another level, was Jermain Defoe. At the match between Sunderland and Everton the Premier League, a young boy named Bradley Lowery met his hero – the star striker Defoe. That moment, Defoe went further than most footballers meeting mascots. The footballer and the young fan made a friendship which united football fans and people in general, with the love which was clearly apparent between the pair.  

Bradley had been fighting a battle with a form of cancer named Neuroblastoma since he was 18months old. Having beaten the disease once, he was in remission for a number of years before it returned in 2016. His family battled and campaigned to raise vital funds to send him to the US for life saving treatment, but they were given the heart-breaking news that his illness was terminal. So the family vowed to continue to fundraise, and make a foundation in Bradley’s name, to help with the fight for other families affected. Part of the fundraising campaign included Bradley becoming a match day mascot at his beloved Sunderland football club, where he would meet his favourite player Jermain Defoe.

Bradley led the team out on multiple occasions, always holding Defoe’s hand. At times when he was clearly feeling weak, Defoe would carry the little boy in his arms. In the match against Chelsea, he was photographed with the team, and scored a goal which won the ‘Goal of the Month’ competition on the iconic show ‘Match of The Day’. Sunderland players visited Bradley in hospital, with one instance the little boy falling asleep cuddling his hero in bed. Other football clubs and fans offered their support, with Everton donating £200k to the fund to fight for his life, and he was a mascot for them in their match against Manchester City, wearing a Sunderland shirt with ‘Thank You Everton’ on the back.

Coinciding with Defoe’s recall to the England national side, the Football Association invited Bradley be a mascot for the national side. Captain Joe Hart stepped aside and invited Defoe and Bradley to lead the team out at Wembley Stadium. During this time, some beautifully poignant photographs were taken, of Bradley shielding his ears from the noise of the 90,000 crowd singing the national anthem, and turning to hug Defoe. Defoe states that this was a huge honour, and something which was truly special for him in his football career.

After the news broke that Bradley wouldn’t be able to win this fight, Defoe attended his birthday party, and continued to give love and support to the boy and his family, and continued his hospital visits.  

As a father, the story continues to choke me up. To see the love that was genuinely shared between the two is humbling. The way that Bradley looked at Jermain; it was a form of escapism for him. I wonder if Defoe will ever truly know the effect that his love, time, generosity and friendship had on Bradley and his family. Bradley pulled on the heartstrings of the nation. His smile was infectious, and the photos and videos that appeared of him in the football environment, showed a boy who for those moments forgot his was deeply ill. He was able to be the star for a short time, removed from the days spent in hospital. Defoe often said he felt the matches were more special knowing Bradley was in attendance. I am sure for Bradleys family, any time Jermain was able to give to Bradley, was every so more special seeing their little boy's eyes light up once again. Any parent would do anything to take away the pain, and for those moments, I am sure Defoe was able to do that for them, and help their son. It truly brings tears to your eyes to listen to the way Defoe spoke about the friendship. It was real. It wasn't because the PR team at the club told him to do so. It was raw love, raw emotion, raw human instinct in wanting to love and help someone.

Bradley sadly died on July 7^th, surrounded by his loving family. Social media accounts of footballers and football clubs offered their condolences and best wishes to the family. After Bradley passed away, Defoe tweeted: “Goodbye my friend, gonna miss you lots. I feel so blessed God brought you into my life and had some amazing moments with you and for that I'm so grateful.  I'll never ever forget the way you looked at me for the first time, the genuine love in those cute eyes. Really finding it hard to express what you mean to me.”

Thousands of mourners lined the route to his funeral, where attendees including Defoe, wore football shirts, with his name on the back, with a message on social media that Football Had No Colours, meaning the football world would come together to remember this brave little boy. His favourite superheroes were in attendance, and balloons were released to the sky.

Although there are hundreds and thousands of gravely ill children around the country who do not get the level of attention that Bradley received, Bradley was able to raise awareness for many of them. His legacy will inspire many people and his foundation has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds, which will go into helping those families. Events are being hosted in his honour, including a celebrity football match at Everton’s Goodison Park ground. Additionally Sunderland donated a corporate box for each match to a family who are going through these struggles, so that the ill child can have this great experience.

To make a contribution visit www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/bradleylowerysfight

In a time where astronomical figures are being spent for footballers, with their earnings and responsibilities in the spotlight, when compared with more everyday life hero's such as those in the Emergency services, it is great to see the human side of the sport. 

Such love, such compassion, such emotion, such support.

RIP Bradley. 

You touched the nation with your strength and your smile. You united football fans throughout the country. My thoughts and deepest sympathies are with your family, friends and your 'best mate' Jermain Defoe, the hero who showed us his human side.

The Soap Opera with Huge Men in Small Pants...

Like the majority of young boys in the late 1980s and early 1990s, WWF (now WWE) wrestling was the biggest thing in my life. I had posters on my wall, a collection of action figures to be proud of, and a desire to one day become a WWF wrestler. 

In 1992 I was nine years old. I was luckily enough to go to SummerSlam at London’s Wembley Stadium, as part of an eighty thousand capacity crowd. My Dad took me. It was day I will never forget. I got to see my heroes perform live. Heroes like The Ultimate Warrior, Macho Man Randy Savage, The British Bulldog, Bret Hitman Hart, The Undertaker, The Legion Of Doom and many more all appeared that day, which all added to my excitement. My dad mentioned that he remembers the look on my face that day, despite not remembering much else about the event. I think I found out that we are going to the event a couple of days before hand. I had wanted tickets so bad, but they were like gold dust. Luckily a relative worked for a national newspaper, and somehow three tickets were in our possession. 

When I was a kid, we only had four channels on our television. Therefore, I would beg my father every weekend to take me to our local video store, to rent the latest WWF video. We didn’t have satellite TV until I was in my teens, where I would be able to see the WWE events live on television. 

My mum often reminds me, that as a boy I would spend the majority of my day, laying on my belly in front of the television, watching my latest wrestling video, crashing my prized wrestling figures into one another, making up a full running commentary for the events I had created. The Royal Rumble was always my favourite event to play, I would select my favourite 30 figures, and would create the running order using the information cards on the back of the toy box packaging that I collected from each one. I would shuffle the cards to determine how the match would line up. 

The Ultimate Warrior usually won my events. He was my favourite wrestler on the videos I would watch, and was my favourite figure to play with. He was like a superhero. Sprinting to the ring, shaking the ropes, bright neon colours and awesome face paint, an infinite energy, huge muscles, and a theme tune that would make me so hyperactive. He was the total package for a 9year old boy to aspire to be.

I wouldn’t grow up and become a WWE wrestler. My passion for football had overtaken as I entered teenage years, and by thirteen, it wasn’t really cool to say to your school friends that you still watched wrestling. But secretly, I did still watch it, and I have done sporadically until this day. 

Two years ago, when clearing out my room at my parents’ house, I found my collection of wrestling figures. The one set of toys that I never discarded through my growing life. I had the ring, the soundbox, the accessories, the belts, and the wrestlers themselves were in great condition, despite hours and hours of play. 

My old wrestling figures appearing on TV with Rob Beckett

Despite a real reluctance, I convinced myself that now was the time to part with the collection. I ended up selling everything to an old friend from university, who wanted to use them as inspiration for fancy dress ideas for his brother’s stag party that he was arranging. I sold the collection for £40 + two tickets to my friend’s next comedy gig that was coming up. 

Years later, my friend was appearing on a UK comedy quiz show, where he took some of my former toys as his mascots. It put a huge smile on my face to think of all of the hours spent during my childhood playing with them, but in the time that I had sold them to him, and him appearing on TV, I have had a baby boy, who one day may have loved those toys as much as I did. 

The thing about wrestling, is that it is timeless. There are still guys competing in the WWE who I watched as a boy. (The Undertaker!). The 8year old son of a family friend is as mad about wrestling as I was at his age, and he is learning through TV and video games about the legends of the spot who I grew up watching. The enthusiasm with which he speaks for John Cena and the new generation of superstars, reminds me of my love for the superstars of my generation. Sure it is a soap opera with huge men in small pants, but the technical skill and risk these guys are taking can be awesome to watch, and can bring generations together. We tried in vain to get get tickets for the WWE coming to the UK in September, but we have been unlucky this time. Hopefully he will get to see his heroes next time they are in town.

Warrior accompanied by his daughters during the WWE HoF

As I mentioned earlier, I have only watched it sporadically over the years, but this weekend I watched a tribute programme to my hero The Ultimate Warrior, who had sadly passed away shortly after his induction into the Hall of Fame in 2014. What struck me was I now saw the man, opposed to my hero. During his acceptance speech, his words touched me as he addressed his daughters who had accompanied on stage:

“The most awesome thing I will ever do, is be your father”

Despite all the adulation, the money, the super star lifestyle and experiences in his life, the best thing for him was being a dad.

I think many of the young boys of the late 80s and early 90s, will have watched that documentary and probably identified in their own lives. We may not have become The Ultimate Warrior, Hulk Hogan or The British Bulldog, or whatever we said we wanted to be when we were older. But we have grown up, and some by now will have had families of our own. No matter what we have achieved, whether we have been hugely successful or have done as well as our means would allow, if you have become a father, then that is the best thing you will have ever done. 

As a father now, I cannot wait to see if my young son will be as passionate about WWE as I was myself. If he is, I will move heaven and earth to attend a show here in the UK, as I remember the joy and excitement that I felt as a young boy, watching the Ultimate Warrior wrestle, and the main event where The British Bulldog, (the late Davey Boy Smith) won the Intercontinental title from his brother in law Bret The Hitman Hart at SummerSlam 1992. WWE can bring fathers and sons together. It can allow grown men to revert to the boy they once were.

 For me, there is nothing I have achieved in life that comes remotely close to becoming a father. It is with mixed feelings that I am glad to see that Warrior managed to tell his kids how he felt, and that in turn they will be able to see him live on as a hero in all of those Ultimate Warrior fans who loved him & will teach their kids about him.. But also so sorry for his daughters that they won’t have the man himself.

RIP Warrior and all of the other wrestling superstars of my childhood who have passed too soon.