The mascot later walked out at Wembley alongside his hero and “best mate” when Defoe was recalled to the England side.
The star footballer would visit Bradley in hospital, came to his sixth birthday party and has stayed close to the family who live in Blackhall Colliery, County Durham.
He attended Bradley’s funeral, which brought thousands of people onto the streets of his home village.
The footballer would cheer up his friend by visiting him in hospital (Bradley Lowery Fight Against Neuroblastoma/PA)
Defoe, now playing for Rangers, was supporting the Cancer Deadline Day campaign which urged fans to compete against supporters of other teams to raise cash for cancer charities.
Rangers star Jermain Defoe still thinks every day about Bradley Lowery, the football mascot who was struck down with a fatal cancer nearly four years ago. The 38-year-old striker forged a remarkable friendship with the little boy, who died aged just six in 2017. The pair met when the young Sunderland fan, ill with neuroblastoma, was a mascot and Defoe was the Black Cats’ star player. The mascot later walked out at Wembley alongside his hero and “best mate” when Defoe was recalled to the England side. The star footballer would visit Bradley in hospital, came to his sixth birthday party and has stayed close to the family who live in Blackhall Colliery, County Durham.
Cancer Deadline Day
Footballâs transfer window provides great interest for fans every year, as players move between clubs and excitement builds as the month goes on.
The transfer window is now open and a new team of eight cancer charities, including the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, have come together to back a campaign ending on Transfer Deadline Day itself.
Raising much-needed funds, the Cancer Deadline Day campaign will equally benefit: Breast Cancer Now, CLIC Sargent, Macmillan Cancer Support, Pancreatic Cancer UK, Prostate Cancer UK, The Ruth Strauss Foundation and Teenage Cancer Trust, as well as the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation.