Raheem Sterling was in fine form for England at Wembley on Friday evening, scoring a hat-trick to get 2019 for the Three Lions off to the perfect start.
A resounding 5-0 victory over the Czech Republic saw Gareth Southgate’s side begin their qualification campaign for the 2020 European Championship superbly, with Sterling the stand-out player.
Named Man of the Match, the Manchester City winger celebrated his second goal with a touching tribute to Dagenham schoolboy Damary Dawkins, a Crystal Palace fan who sadly passed away with leukaemia on Wednesday.
Sterling lifted his England shirt to reveal a t-shirt with an image of Sterling with the young boy, who Sterling supported during his illness, which also displayed a message of remembrance.
"May your soul rest in peace," it read.
Sterling helped the 13-year-old find a suitable blood type earlier this year and he underwent a stem cell transplant in New York back in January but, unfortunately, he lost his life on Wednesday.
The night was not over for Sterling though, as he went on to score a third and celebrate his first ever hat-trick for the Three Lions, and after the match he spoke about the his tribute.
"Damary was a kid I was trying to help and we thought we'd found a donor. Sadly, it didn't match and he sadly passed away so I thought I had to do something to give his family something to smile about," he told ITV.
Man City fans are all saying the same thing about Raheem Sterling after England hat-trick
