Four Sunderland players visited young Bradley Lowery in his hospital room on Thursday, but the 5-year-old left no doubt who his favourite player is.
It was a touching moment when Bradley fell asleep while clutching striker Jermain Defoe, and the image quickly spread across the internet.
Bradley loves @IAmJermainDefoe he didn't want him to leave today and fell asleep cuddling into him #specialbond #bestfriends pic.twitter.com/sn2symKhdv
- Bradley Lowery (@Bradleysfight) February 9, 2017
Defoe was joined by teammates Sebastian Larsson, John O'Shea and Vito Mannone, and his family said the visit had a positive affect.