11-year-old Celtic fan with Down's syndrome wins Scottish Goal of the Month by record margin in heart-warming gesture
Former Celtic striker Georgios Samaras sent 11-year-old Jay Beatty a video message to break the good news to him
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.We’ve seen some absolutely stunning goals over the years when it comes to the Goal of the Month award, but there won’t be a single winner that will make you feel as good as Jay Beatty’s penalty strike.
11-year-old Celtic fan Beatty – now known as ‘Wee Jay’ – suffers from Down’s Syndrome, but that has not stopped him becoming a familiar face at the home of the Scottish Champions. He first appeared when former striker Georgios Samaras picked him out of the crowd to participate in the side’s Scottish Premiership celebrations last season.
Last month, he had the privilege of scoring a half-time penalty in-front of thousands of fans roaring him on as Celtic took on Hamilton at New Douglas Park on January 19. His memorable moment came after giving the squad a team talk before kick-off, and the video of the goal has quickly gone viral.
Jay soaks up the adulation from the crowd as he celebrates with a victory lap in front of both sets of fans, who cheer him on every step of the way.
Watch the goal below...
However, what happened next was truly heart-warming.
Jay’s goal was entered into the Scottish Professional Football League’s Goal of the Month competition, which is chosen by the fans via a vote.
Not only did Jay take the award, he did so with a record margin, scoring 97% of the vote, and despite Samaras since moving to Saudi Arabia to continue his playing career, he sent Jay a video message to break the news to him.
In the video, Samaras adds: “Well done on such a great job – I miss you and hope to see you soon.”
Watch Samaras's touching message to Jay below...
Jay’s father Martin Beatty added that it was a wonderful feeling to see his son getting the chance to live his dreams.
“Not many of us get to live our dreams and Jay is getting to live all our dreams,” said Mr Beatty. “Thank you to everyone for making this possible - we are so grateful and proud.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments