Sunderland footballer Jermain Defoe melts hearts as he spends the day with young fan battling cancer

The Sunderland footballer spent his day off visiting Bradley Lowery, a five year old facing a gruelling battle with Neuroblastoma – a type of cancer that is formed in the nerves.
And it seems as though his visit tired the youngster out, as his mum shared an adorable shot of him asleep, beside the former England star.

She uploaded the heartwarming shot of the pair, and opened up about their "special bond."
"Bradley loves @IAmJermainDefoe he didn't want him to leave today and fell asleep cuddling into him #specialbond #bestfriends," she captioned the cute snap.

And the 34 year old retweeted the post for his 825k followers, adding: "Love you little man [heart]."
The footballer's fans rushed to praise the sweet snap.