A FOOTBALL-OBSESSED nine-year-old won’t stop saying ‘thank you’ after she got to walk hand-in-hand with John Stones at England’s match against Slovenia this Tuesday.
Charlotte Grange of Oxspring got this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity thanks to her grandad Kelvin Connolly, who won her the position through the Lidl ‘Kids Team’ scheme.
Unfortunately, Kelvin was unable to join - as in his words he’s getting ‘a bit long in the tooth’ - so Charlotte’s aunt Clare Connolly took the young Penistone Church goalie instead, with the two jetting off to Germany on Monday.
“She’s been over the moon,” Kelvin told the Chronicle.
“Her and my daughter have had the best time - Lidl’s treated them like queens.
“We only learned that she’d be going on with John about an hour before.
“Someone from UEFA asked if she could go on with him because they’ve got that connection with Barnsley.
“We were watching on TV and you could see he was kneeling down to talk to her.
“He’s a god to her now.”
Charlotte and Clare returned home on Wednesday evening, just missing Kelvin’s birthday celebrations.
While the 0-0 draw may have disappointing for fans, it didn’t ruin the incredible experience.
On top of the match, Charlotte was gifted a Lidl kit - which the team signed - a backpack filled with goodies, and a jam-packed schedule of activities.
Charlotte told her grandad that if there was another word for thank you, she’d say it to him ‘thousands of times’.
“Lidl’s given me the best birthday present I’ve ever got,” Kelvin added.
“They were singing from the start to the end of the match - it was just magical.
“This is the best birthday I’ve had in my life - it was just unbelievable.”
