They have posed for photographs making a heart shape with their hands, like Real Madrid star Gareth Bale’s trademark goal celebration, to show football-loving Rhya Story that she is in their thoughts.
The 14-year-old, who plays for Haltwhistle under 15s girls in Northumberland and loves Manchester United, fell ill a fortnight ago and was rushed to hospital where a brain tumour was diagnosed. She is in the High Dependency Unit of the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle, and is missing her team-mates.
They posed for a photo to show her they were missing her too, and other junior teams got involved, sending pictures via Facebook and Twitter using the hashtag #heart4rhya.
Former Newcastle United and England hero Alan Shearer – the Premier League’s leading goal-scorer – has also joined in, posing for a picture to support the appeal.
Kirsty Hutton, who owns a cafe in Hexham where Rhya’s mother Catherine works, set up the Facebook appeal and has asked more teams to show their support.
She said: “We don’t want any money, it is purely for people to show they are behind her. Now it has gone viral. The football family is massive, everybody is getting behind her.
“Rhya is putting up a massive fight.”
Ms Hutton said Rhya, from Greenhead, loved football and never missed training or a match before she fell ill.
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