Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale has been hailed for an "incredible donation" to help a former Ireland Under-21 midfielder pay for a career-saving operation.
Connor Dimaio lined out for the Boys in Green from Under-16s right the way through to 21s - and played alongside Callum O’Dowda, Alan Browne, Josh Cullen, Ryan Manning and Declan Rice.
A former Sheffield United, Chesterfield and Stockport County midfielder, he suffered a serious knee injury last month while playing for non-league side Matlock Town.
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Dimaio ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament and he strained his medial and lateral ligaments when his studs got caught in the turf.
Ramsdale, who is number one with current Premier League leaders Arsenal, lined out alongside Dimaio at Sheffield United and Chesterfield.
And on Sunday, he generously donated £1,000 (€1,140) to take a JustGiving appeal close to its target of £6,000 (€6,830).
Dimaio (27) needs the operation as soon as possible to keep his prospects of playing again alive.
However, with a backlog in the NHS, a private operation is his only hope of getting treated within the required timeframe.
His club set up the JustGiving page last week and, with the help of Ramsdale, hit their target on Monday.
England international Ramsdale left a message along with his donation, reading: “Con you a legend mate… you deserve this chance!”
Dimaio’s club Matlock tweeted their gratitude to Ramsdale.
“Arsenal's number one coming through with an incredible donation... we cannot thank Aaron enough,” they wrote.
Dimaio represented Ireland at Under-21 level four times. He made his debut under Noel King in March 2016 in a 3-1 defeat away to Slovenia.
He came off the bench for Alan Browne in the return game six months later, a 2-0 win, was capped a third time in a 3-2 defeat to Serbia, and played in a 1-0 win over Kosovo in March 2017.
Shamrock Rovers pair Jack Byrne and Sean Hoare, Shelbourne’s Shane Griffin and ex-Cork City striker Sean Maguire were also teammates in the Under-21 set-up.
After five appearances for Sheffield United, where he played with Ramsdale he moved to Chesterfield in February 2016.
He linked up again with Ramsdale when the then-Bournemouth goalkeeper made a loan move there while the club was in League Two.
Dimaio has played at non-league level since his move to Stockport in May 2018.
He signed for Matlock Town from Curzton Ashton in February and a month later suffered his horrific injury.
According to the JustGiving page, set up by club official James Griffiths, Dimaio “went down in significant pain in his knee after getting his studs caught in the ground” during a March 4 clash with Ashton United.
“In the following days, an MRI scan confirmed an ACL rupture, and strains to the medial and lateral ligaments,” it continued.
“Due to the severity of the injury, and the role that the ligaments perform in keeping the knee stable, Connor is required surgery to reconstruct the ACL.
“This is a lengthy injury, and Connor is looking at 10-12 months of rehabilitation post-surgery.”
The PFA will cover some of the surgery costs for Dimaio, who recently became a father for the second time.
Matlock manager Martin Carruthers said: “We all want to come together and show our support for Connor and his family after his devastating injury which has hit us all hard.
“He is a fantastic young man and we all want to ensure he recovers as quickly as possible and he can return to the Gladiators in the new year fitter and stronger than before.”
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