Bournemouth striker Jermaine Defoe has revealed that he thinks about Bradley Lowery "every day" after the child's passing in July.
Lowery, who passed away after a battle with a rare form of cancer, formed a friendship with Defoe in the final months of his life, while the forward was at Sunderland.
The former Tottenham Hotspur man has opened up about his relationship with Lowery after the pair's shared bond.
"I thought Bradley was so ill that he would be really quiet and subdued," Defoe told the Daily Mail. "But he had this energy. And he ran over to me. He jumped on my lap and started showing me his boots. It was weird.
"It was almost like he knew me from before. There was just this instant connection. I took him out onto the pitch that night for the game and held his hand. When it got to the point where we knew it was only a matter of time, all I wanted to do was be there for him and give him those happy days.
"Having that experience with Brad, I have always been close to my family but I am even more so now because you can't take anything for granted. Life's short. The people that are around you that you love, you need to really express that."
Lowery was honoured posthumously on Sunday evening with the Helen Rollason award at the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year Awards.
Jonny Whitfield
