Five-year-old writes heart-warming letter to Seamus Coleman

Tue, 28 Mar, 2017 - 14:54

Stephen Barry

A young fan who met Seamus Coleman the day before he broke his leg has written a touching letter to the Ireland captain, writes Stephen Barry.

The right-back suffered a horrific double-break of his right leg after a reckless challenge from Wales’ Neil Taylor, who was sent-off in the scoreless World Cup qualifier.

Ever popular among fans and teammates alike, messages of support have poured in for Coleman. But few have been as heart-warming as those from his young supporters.

Five-year-old Reece Kenny from Offaly took the time to pen a letter to his “hero” on behalf of himself and older brother Cody, thanking Coleman for his warm welcome and wishing him a quick recovery.

It reads: “To Seamus,

“I love you. You are the best soccer player. My brother and I met you last Thursday, the day before the Wales match.

“You were so kind and friendly to us. You are our hero.

“We were at the match and we are so sad for you that your bones are broken. We hope you get better really soon.

“Love from Reece Kenny (5) and my brother Cody (7) from Offaly.”

It’s not the first fan letter written to Coleman, coming after an Everton-supporting seven-year-old Jake Livingstone designed a card for Coleman, which asked: “Why does it (the injury) have to be before the derby?”

There are many reasons for Coleman’s popularity, but a video released by Everton sums it up best.

It shows Coleman’s impact on the field, scoring and assisting goals, and in the community, with clips from his meeting with a Down’s syndrome team at Everton Free School last week.