Stepping off the bench to score England’s sixth and final goal against Iran, Jack Grealish celebrated with a dance.
The winger waved his arms and rolled his shoulders following an unselfish play in the 90th minute, where teammate Callum Wilson raced clear before passing off to Grealish to prod home into an empty goal.
While the goal was an excellent showing of teamwork and ability, the finish had much more significance than that.
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Grealish grabs England’s sixth
Posting to social media after the 6-2 victory to open England’s World Cup campaign, Grealish shared a video of him chatting with a young Manchester United fan with cerebral palsy – the same movement condition suffered by Grealish’s younger sister, Hollie.
The youngster, 11-year-old Finlay, wrote a heartwarming letter to Grealish earlier this year. The 27-year-old replied, sending back a letter and a signed shirt.
In a special surprise, the pair met at City’s Etihad Campus earlier this month.
In the video, Grealish and Finlay discuss performing an outlandish dance as a goal celebration.
Finlay initially asked for “the worm” but had to settle for a move less likely to cause injury.
After settling on the shimmy-like routine, Grealish promised, “next time I score, I’ll do that for you”.
In keeping his promise on football’s biggest stage, Grealish completed the dance and made a point of dedicating both his goal and his celebration to Finlay.
“For you Finlay,” he wrote on social media.
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