Shivering Dubai teen the envy of his friends after Eriksen jacket gesture
A Dubai teenager who was given Christian Eriksen’s jacket before a Manchester United game said it was the “icing on the cake” of a surreal weekend.
Cameron Dean, 13, travelled to Manchester at the weekend with his family to be a mascot for United’s match against Tottenham on Sunday.
The youngster was then at the centre of a sweet moment when Danish midfielder Eriksen handed him his kit jacket when he noticed the teen was shivering.
“When we were walking on to the pitch last night, Eriksen saw that I was shivering and he said, ‘Here, it’s cold. Do you want to take my jacket?’” Cameron told The National.
“I’ve lived my whole life in Dubai so I’m just not used to that kind of cold weather.”
Cameron was delighted to discover that he was allowed to take it home.
He said he will keep it instead of selling it, despite the stark contrast in weather between the UK and his home.
“It’s priceless,” he said. “I’m going to wear it whenever I can because selling or auctioning off something as special as that would be a total waste.”
Cameron, who was born and raised in Dubai, is a Year 8 pupil at North London Collegiate School and is from a family of lifelong Manchester United supporters. His parents used to live in Manchester and passed on their love of football and the club to Cameron and his younger brother.
Cameron said the gesture, which went viral, was something he would never forget.
He also said many of his school friends are envious.
“I’ve posted a lot on my social media already so my friends have seen the moment on TikTok and Snapchat,” he said. “It’s safe to say they are super-jealous.”
The act of kindness has made Eriksen, who once suffered a cardiac arrest while playing for Denmark in the 2021 European Championships, Cameron’s favourite player.