11-year-old Jay Beatty’s story and his relationship with the Greek footballer Giorgos Samaras has moved football fans across the globe. So much so that the young boy was invited by the Greek Football Federation (EFF) to watch Greece play Costa Rica on Sunday after a wild Facebook campaign was launched.

The Facebook campaign – “O Jay Paei Mundial” (Jay Goes to the World Cup) – immediately took off reaching 60,000 likes in about 20 hours. Upon learning of the initiative the Samaras – who says little Jay is an “inspiration” – threw his support behind the move. The EFF enthusiastically agreed to the request after the money to send Jay off was gathered within hours.

Little Jay who suffers from down syndrome developed a special relationship with the international striker during his days at Celtic. He had been carried around the pitch by Samaras on Celtic’s end-of-season lap of honor. Always a fan of Samaras, he celebrated like a Greek when striker Samaras scored at the World Cup.

Unfortunately however little Jay won’t make it to the World Cup after all. A Facebook message from his father, Martin Beatty, reads:

In a warm and fuzzy video posted by his dad on Facebook, little Jay says: “Thanks Sammy I hope you win the World Cup. I am sorry I won’t be there, but I still love you very much and I hope you win. Come on Sammy!”