Jack Grealish kept his promise to a young fan who has cerebral palsy with his celebration after scoring his first World Cup goal for England against Iran on Monday. Grealish tapped home the final goal from close range in a 6-2 win and marked the moment with a broad smile and stretched his arms out to the side, rolling them in waves. The Manchester City midfielder was keeping a pledge he made to 11-year-old Finlay. Finlay met his favourite player after writing a letter to Grealish, whose sister Holly also has cerebral palsy.
"I wish there were more people in the world just like you who treat people with disabilities the same as anyone else," Finlay had written.
Grealish, 27, followed up with a letter of his own and also made a surprise visit to meet Finlay at a football session run by City's charity programme.
It was there that he pledged to dedicate his next goal to the boy with the arm gesture Grealish recreated in Qatar.
"I met young Finlay about a month ago," said Grealish after Monday's match.
"Got on obviously really well with him. Him having cerebral palsy like my little sister as well, so he asked me to do a celebration for him and luckily it came at a World Cup.
"That's what it is all about. For me, it's just doing a celebration. That will mean the world to him I'm sure, especially me doing it at a World Cup.
"So Finlay, that one's for you."