Euro winner Nikita Parris gave a group of unsuspecting youngsters a unique opportunity to play football with her.
The Manchester United striker, who won 65 caps for England, arrived at her football club in Toxteth early this morning and surprised the U12 team.
As the girls sat down to breakfast, Parris had an interesting conversation about being local and pursuing her dream of playing the beautiful game professionally – before tackling some target practice.
After the session, seven-year-old Mila Williams said she had “learned so much” from Parris and wanted to “follow in her footsteps”.
The heartwarming video comes after researchers surveyed 1,000 children aged six to 16 to discover their top 50 heroes.
(Image: SWNS)
Soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo topped the list, along with fellow footballers Beth Mead, Marcus Rashford – and Nikita Parris himself – too.
Other teen idols included Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and his friend Kevin Hart, Harry Styles and Emma Watson.
A spokesperson for Weetabix, which commissioned the study, said: “Soccer is for everyone and this year has been emphasized more than ever.
“With the England women’s team recently winning the European Championship, there is no better time to encourage young girls to play football.
“It’s inspiring and a sign of the times to see Beth Mead, Alex Scott and Nikita herself in the Top 50 Children’s Heroes.
“We hope this is just the beginning for girls to get involved in football and the training showed how much fun they are having and how passionate they are about the sport.
“Weetabix Wildcats offers girls the opportunity to participate in soccer outside of the league.
“Especially in the current circumstances, we want to ensure that families still have access to affordable and healthy food and ways to stay active, focusing on having fun and making new friends.
“Sport should be part of everyday life and we are passionate about giving girls access to football.
The poll also found that athletes and sportspeople are the most inspiring type of celebrity for children (20%), followed by musicians (16%) and actors (11%).
Similarly, 24% think a good hero in sports is brilliant, while 26% think kindness is a good role model.
It was also found that 31% feel that a celebrity has given them an idea of what they want to do as a career and 27% want the exact same job as their idol.
While 54% said their favorite stars inspire them to chase their dreams.
The poll, conducted via OnePoll, also revealed that 34% of respondents watched this year’s European Women’s Championship on TV, with 52% saying that watching the Lionesses win piqued their interest in football has.
And 42% of kids said it inspired them to try a new sport or join a sports team.
(Image: SWNS)
Nikita Parris said: “It was great to go back to my old training ground today and see how many girls just want to try it.
“I loved how the Weetabix Wildcats coaches made the activities fun. You could tell the girls were all having a great time.
“It was great to hear all their questions about how to get into football and I told them all that the most important thing is as long as they have fun.
“It’s been a fantastic summer for women’s football and it’s great to see brands giving girls the opportunity to play sport. And I’m also happy to be in the top 50.”
TOP 50 CHILDHOOD HEROES:
- Cristiano Ronaldo
- Ed Sheeran
- Dwayne The Rock Johnson
- David Beckham
- Lady Gaga
- Emma Watson
- Ariana Grande
- Billy Eilish
- Kevin De Bruyne
- Miley Cyrus
- Harry Styles
- Lewis Hamilton
- zendaya
- David Attenborough
- Jordan Henderson
- Kevin Hart
- Marcus Rashford
- KylieJenner
- Raham Sterling
- Ant and Dec
- David Walliams
- Greta Thunberg
- Phil Ford
- Prince Harry
- Jojo Siwa
- bet med
- Megan Rapinoe
- Jose Guardiola
- Alex shot
- Kim Kardashian
- Dove Cameron
- Nikita Paris
- Steve Backshall
- James Karl
- Lil Nas X
- tommy rage
- Addison Rae
- Jessica Nelson
- Millie Bobby Brown
- Dixie D’Amelio
- Jack Grealish
- Jack Paul
- Logan Paul
- Ryan Clark
- Junior Andre
- Leah Williamson
- Molly Mae Hague
- Charlie D’Amelio
- Bukayo Saka
- Big Zoo
Source: Bel Fast Live
