Jermaine Defoe is continuing his mission to make his good friend Bradley Lowrey's battle with neuroblastoma more manageable as he arranged for the young Sunderland superfan to be an England mascot for their home qualifier at Wembley against Lithuania.
As England captain for the match, Joe Hart assumed his position at the front of the tunnel to lead his team out onto the pitch, but as soon as he spotted Bradley Lowrey with Defoe behind him, he insisted that they swap positions so the two could lead England out together.
It was a nice touch from Hart, as that would have been an incredibly special moment for Bradley. His hug with Jermaine Defoe before they walked out would absolutely melt your heart.
Great scenes, Bradley Lowery & Defoe. Nice touch from captain Joe Hart to let Bradley &Jermaine lead England out #ENGvLIT #OneBradleyLowery pic.twitter.com/XQz12uRaNj
— YNFA (@ynfafootball) March 26, 2017
Love this. Great to have you with us, Bradley. ?#threelions pic.twitter.com/egfN5aS28h
— England (@England) March 26, 2017
This little hero was an England mascot today. ?
We hope you enjoy your day, @Bradleysfight! #ENGvLIT https://t.co/CPPcOwkH3O pic.twitter.com/dH0fuvwnNt— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) March 26, 2017
Defoe was making his return to the England team at the age of 34, and inevitably, he got himself on the score-sheet.
After some good work by Raheem Sterling, Defoe did what he does and put the ball in the goal.
