A DUBAI teenager was last Sunday given Christian Eriksen’s jacket before a Manchester United game and after the Danish star has realized that the boy was feeling cold.
Cameron Dean, 13, traveled to Manchester at the weekend with his family after he was selected as a mascot for United’s match against Tottenham on Sunday.
The youngster then became the center of a sweet viral moment in which Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen was seen handing him his kit jacket when he noticed the teen was shivering.
“When we were walking onto the pitch last night, Eriksen saw that I was shivering and he said, ‘Here, it’s cold. Do you want to take my jacket?'” Cameron told The National.
“I’ve lived my whole life in Dubai so I’m just not used to that kind of cold weather.”
While the jacket was too big for him, Cameron was delighted to discover that he was allowed to take it home to Dubai with him.
He said he will continue to wear the jacket instead of selling it, despite the stark contrast in weather between the UK and his home.
“It’s priceless,” he said. “I’m going to wear it whenever I can because selling or auctioning off something as special as that would be a total waste.”
Cameron, who was born and raised in Dubai, is a year eight pupil at North London Collegiate School and is from a family of lifelong Manchester United supporters.
His parents used to live in Manchester and passed on their love of football and the club to Cameron and his younger brother.
Cameron said the heart-warming gesture, which went viral on social media, was a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” he will never forget.
He also said many of his school friends are green with envy.
“I’ve posted a lot on my social media already so my friends have seen the moment on TikTok and Snapchat,” he said. “It’s safe to say they are super-jealous.”
Cameron added that Eriksen’s act of kindness had also made him his favourite United player.
“Alejandro Garnacho was my top player on the team before last night but I think he moves to number two now,” he said.
Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest in the 42nd minute of Denmark’s first game of the European Championships against Finland in Copenhagen in 2021.
Despite what many thought would be a career-ending incident, the 31-year-old midfielder made a remarkable return to the Premier League with Brentford in February 2022.
Six months later, he signed a three-year deal at Old Trafford.
The midfielder is the first known top-flight footballer to be fitted with an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD), which is given to those thought to be at future risk of cardiac arrest.
It works by sending electrical shocks to the heart to start it pumping again – effectively rebooting it in the event of failure.
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