Overview
- Jacob Allmendinger, 21, used about £10,000 he had saved for a house deposit to take his 80-year-old grandfather, Geoff Golliker, to England matches in New York, Atlanta and Mexico City.
- Their story went viral while they travelled, with the pair frequently recognised and receiving many messages from people moved by the intergenerational gesture.
- US-based online crypto casino Metawin first offered to repay the money if England beat Panama by a large margin and later said it would pay if England beat DR Congo, a pledge the company fulfilled after England’s 2-1 win in Atlanta.
- Jacob confirmed the £10,000 arrived in his bank account and said he was stunned, plans to save the gift on return to the UK, and is continuing the trip with his grandfather to Miami for the quarter-final.
- The episode highlights how social media amplified a personal sacrifice into a public act of corporate goodwill and restored the young fan’s financial options, including the possibility of buying a home or attending future tournaments.