Telford 'Granaldo' has boots back on ready to cheer on England in Euro final
A footballing granny is hoping Harry Kane will follow in her goalscoring footsteps when England take on Italy in the Euro 2021 final.
"Granaldo", aka 85-year-old Violet Slater from Telford, will be cheering on the Three Lions with her grandson Kodi, 12, as manager Gareth Southgate tries to plot a path to glory.
Violet has predicted a 3-1 victory for England after praising the England team's hard work throughout the tournament and describing Southgate as "terrific".
Violet appeared on Soccer AM after achieving viral fame when videos of her scoring volleys and performing trick shots from her wheelchair were seen around the world.
Watching England's first major final in 55 years was in doubt for Violet after she caught Covid and was struggling with ill health.
But fortunately she is on the mend, and was able to sing Sweet Caroline with Kodi after Wednesday night's semi-final victory over Denmark.
As well as getting her scoring boots back on, she has been pumping iron in the gym to build her strength back up.
Her son Phil said: "She really struggled with the lockdowns, but she's making great progress now. A lot of people don't know how bad she got, but she's really improving.
"The football has helped, she's been enjoying it a lot. She's been doing football challenges and she's really excited. Let's just hope we win."
It was Kodi who got Violet into football, after he gained a following online for his own trick shot skills. He took his re-bounder and a set of goalposts to his gran's house and, before he knew it, "Granaldo" was banging in the goals and a new star was born.
