It's not everyday your footballing hero performs a goal celebration especially for you after scoring at the World Cup - but for one young fan, that's exactly what happened yesterday.
Finlay, 12, met Manchester City star Jack Grealish after writing to thank him for his outspoken support of his sister, who like Finlay, has cerebral palsy. He was invited to meet the midfielder as part of the club's One City disability programme, and had one request - for him to perform 'the Finlay' wiggle dance next time he scored.
And much to Finlay's delight, the moment came on the very biggest of stages, as Grealish scored England's sixth goal against Iran yesterday. Speaking to Nick Robinson on BBC Radio 4 this morning, Finlay, from Wythenshawe, said he was 'amazed' when Grealish remembered his request.
"At first I didn’t think he’d remember, but then he did it and I was just so happy," he said. "I thought that he’d actually forget but he stuck to his word and stayed true, and I was just amazed."
A now-viral video shows the heartwarming moment Finlay asked Grealish to perform the number as his next goal celebration. The pair share a hug after Grealish promised to remember Finlay's request.
Finlay told listeners his signature move is called 'the Finlay', and that he was performing it alongside Grealish from his front room in Wythenshawe. He said he 'had the feeling' his hero was going to score when he was subsituted on during the second half of yesterday's match.
"I thought he was actually going to score," he said. "I was like, come on Grealish! Score a goal. And then he scored.”
Speaking at a post-match press conference, Grealish confirmed the wiggle celebration was for the 12-year old, and said he knew it would 'mean the world to him'. This morning, Finlay told Nick Robinson he hopes 'the Finlay' will become Grealish's signature move, and explained how much it meant to him that Grealish used his platform to raise awareness of cerebral palsy.
"I think that he’s very inspirational," Finlay said. "Because he has lived with people, he knows what it’s like, so he gets the message across and I think he supports me and makes me grow confidence, so I hope he does that to other people as well."
He gave a huge 'thank you' to the City star, as well as City in the Community, the club's charity who run a number of outreach projects across Manchester.
“Thank you so much for everything you did - to all the people out there, you can do it. And thanks to all the other people that are in City in the Community that help me.”
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