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England fan who spent life savings gets money back

Jasmine LoweEast Yorkshire & Lincolnshire
News imageBBC Geoff wearing a white England shirt smiling, he's watching the football and he has a bald head with glasses on. Sat next to him is Jacob. He is smiling and wearing a red England top. He has short dark hair and a short stubble. They're in a pub with England flags hanging in the background.BBC
Jacob Allmendinger and his grandad, Geoff Golliker, are in the US watching England at the World Cup

A man who used his life savings to take his grandad to the World Cup has had his money gifted back to him by a company inspired by his story.

Jacob Allmendinger, 21, from North Ferriby in East Yorkshire, said he was "amazed" when £10,000 landed in his bank account after England's victory over DR Congo in Atlanta.

He said: "I didn't quite believe it, to be honest, until I looked at my bank and it was there. I was just in shock."

The money was gifted to him by an online crypto casino after his story went viral.

Jacob's grandad, Geoff Golliker, 80, added: "We're getting recognised quite a bit. When we were in New York, a guy came up to us and said, 'are you the guys travelling round?' It was brilliant."

Jacob said he had been bombarded with positive messages.

"I think it just resonates with people. I've had people reach out who have lost their grandparents and how they wish they'd done something similar," he said.

"It just makes us cherish this time more, really."

Since landing in New York, the pair have travelled to Atlanta, in Georgia, for the match with DR Congo and the Azteca Stadium, where they watched the 3-2 victory over co-hosts Mexico.

They are now heading to Miami for England's quarter-final match against Norway on Saturday.

News imageJacob Allmendinger An older picture of Jacob and Geoff on a bus. Jacob is only young, he looks about five and Geoff is sitting next to him as they both look into the camera. Geoff has a bald head and is wearing sunglasses.Jacob Allmendinger
Geoff has been taking his grandson to Hull City games for most of his life and Jacob says he is now returning the favour

Reflecting on the Mexico game, Jacob said: "It was a once-in-a-generation game to watch.

"The parallels to now and 1966 when we last beat Mexico in the World Cup and then went on to win the whole thing, it kind of gets you giddy for the rest of the trip."

Geoff added: "The Mexican fans were absolutely fantastic. Very happy, very boisterous. The atmosphere that's built up is fantastic."

Jacob said he planned to save the money, given to him by Metawin, until he gets home.

"We could go to the European Championships [2028], I could buy a house, anything is possible. It's just great to have options," he said.

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