Bradley Lowery was an English football fan who was born on May 17, 2011, in Blackhall Colliery near Hartlepool, England to Carl and Gemma Lowery. He was eighteen months old when he was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a rare form of cancer, and never had a chance to grow up like a normal child. The diagnosis came in 2013 when a large tumor was found on his kidney. As he grew older, Lowery became a superfan of footballer Jermain Defoe but his neuroblastoma returned in 2016. The Bradley Lowery foundation was created to help fund his medical bills and when he died at the age of six in 2017, the proceeds of the foundation went towards others undergoing the same illness.

Former English striker Gary Lineker described Lowery as "A warrior and an inspiration to the end". After his death, his parents accepted the Helen Rollason award at BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2017 posthumously for their son. Lowery's favorite player was former Sunderland striker Jermain Defoe and the pair became friends. Both he and Defoe led out England at Wembley for a World Cup qualifier against Lithuania. His parents still run the Bradley Lowery Foundation for helping children get the treatment they need.