A man who used his life savings to take his grandad to the World Cup has had his money gifted back to him by a company inspired by his story.
Jacob Allmendinger, 21, from North Ferriby in East Yorkshire, said he was “amazed” when £10,000 landed in his bank account after England’s victory over DR Congo in Atlanta.
He said: “I didn’t quite believe it, to be honest, until I looked at my bank and it was there. I was just in shock.”
The money was gifted to him by an online crypto casino after his story went viral.
Jacob’s grandad, Geoff Golliker, 80, added: “We’re getting recognised quite a bit. When we were in New York, a guy came up to us and said, ‘are you the guys travelling round?’ It was brilliant.”
Jacob said he had been bombarded with positive messages.
“I think it just resonates with people. I’ve had people reach out who have lost their grandparents and how they wish they’d done something similar,” he said.
“It just makes us cherish this time more, really.”
Since landing in New York, the pair have travelled to Atlanta, in Georgia, for the match with DR Congo and the Azteca Stadium, where they watched the 3-2 victory over co-hosts Mexico.
They are now heading to Miami for England’s quarter-final match against Norway on Saturday.
