Terminally ill Sunderland fan, 5, wins goal of the month

London (AFP) – A five-year-old Sunderland fan who has terminal cancer was adjudged joint winner of the BBC’s December goal of the month award.

Bradley Lowery, who earlier this season had his name chanted by Sunderland and Everton fans in the fifth minute of their match in which he led the Black Cats out, beat Chelsea reserve goalkeeper Asmir Begovic from the penalty spot at half-time of their Premier League game last month.

Chelsea striker Diego Costa had given the youngster advice on the best way to beat his team-mate. 

Lowery, who received 250,000 Christmas cards following his penalty, shared the award with Manchester United’s Henrikh Mkhitaryan and beat the likes of Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez.

“We have woken up this morning to the news that Bradley’s goal got joint goal of the month,” his mother Gemma told the Sunderland Echo.

“We can’t actually believe this and would like to thank every single one of you for your support. This is a very special moment for us and something we can treasure forever.”

The Sunderland fanatic was diagnosed in 2013 with stage four neuroblastoma, which attacks the nervous system, but was told he was in remission in December 2014 after several operations and a first bout of chemotherapy.

But the cancer returned.

Last year more than £700,000 ($860,000, 822,000 euros) was raised to pay for treatment in the United States, including a donation of £200,000 from Everton following their match against Sunderland.

His family however were later told his cancer had spread and that treatment would only help to prolong his life.