Touching tribute for late Sunderland supporter on what would be 15th birthday at Everton | OneFootball

Everton and Sunderland paid touching tribute to late Black Cats supporter Bradley Lowery on what would have been his 15th birthday at their Premier League match this afternoon.

Both sets of supporters held aloft a banner featuring Bradley, sporting his timeless smile with his thumbs up, who passed away aged just six on the 7th of July 2017 after he was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a rare form of cancer affecting roughly 1 in 7,000 children.

An avid Sunderland supporter, he famously walked out as mascot to Jermaine Defoe, who described him as his “best friend”, in addition to Everton and England men’s national team.

It comes as one of many tributes for Bradley, as his mother Gemma described his birthday weekend as “incredibly emotional” yet “a proud moment” for the family, crediting both clubs.

She said: “To be back at the stadium and to see both sets of fans coming together to remember Bradley on what would have been his 15th birthday weekend is incredibly emotional, but also a proud moment for us as a family.

“The two clubs have both been absolutely amazing. It’s precious to me because they were fantastic when Bradley was alive, but to continue that support, and to help us to continue his legacy, has been incredible.

“The awareness they have both raised has been really important. It gets people talking about childhood cancer and gets people wanting to do fundraising activities, which in turn, helps us to help other families.”

The Toffees donated £200,000 towards his cancer treatment fund in 2016, with the Bradley Lowery Foundation still active and supporting families of patients fundraising for treatment and equipment that isn’t readily provided by the NHS.

Sunderland came from behind to beat Everton 3-1 at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, on an emotional day for those connected to both teams where football rightfully took a backseat.