Jack Grealish scored his first World Cup goal for England on Monday and marked it with a very special celebration.
The Manchester City attacker started England's World Cup opener against Iran on the bench, but came on to score his side's final goal in a 6-2 win. While there was nothing particularly impressive about the goal itself - Newcastle striker Callum Wilson did all the hard work before setting up Grealish with a tap-in - his celebration was very special.
A few weeks ago Grealish met 11-year-old City fan Finlay. The youngster has cerebral palsy, as does Grealish's sister, and wrote a letter to the City star thanking him for raising awareness about the condition.
READ MORE: Man City will face a challenge they’ve never had before in January
In the letter, Finlay admitted it would be a dream to meet Grealish, so the City and England star went along to one of City's disability football sessions to meet him. CityTV caught the occasion on camera and the video went viral, particularly the moment when Grealish made a promise to Finlay.
The 27-year-old offered to dedicate a goal celebration to Finlay the next time he scored, with Finlay initially asking him to do 'the worm'. When Grealish admitted that he can't do the worm, the pair settled on Grealish wiggling his arms.
Grealish didn't score in City's remaining matches before the World Cup break, so when he scored at the end of England's win in Qatar, he turned to the television cameras and kept his promise. As his teammates retreated back to their own half he turned and wiggled his arms, a celebration that fans on Twitter quickly realised the significance of.
Grealish has received more than his fair share of criticism for his lack of goals and assists since joining City last year, but this was just the latest piece of evidence that proves that there are few footballers out there who are as down-to-earth and kind as he is.
READ NEXT: