Bradley Lowery leads England team out alongside best mate Jermain Defoe before England beat Lithuania at Wembley
BRAVE Bradley Lowery leads out England with best mate Jermain Defoe at Wembley.
The cancer-stricken lad, five, got a rousing reception from Three Lions fans before the World Cup qualifier against Lithuania.
But all the noise seemed a bit much as he had to cover his ears with his hands while walking onto the pitch.
Little Bradley, whose battle against the terminal illness has captured the nation's hearts, formed his friendship with the England striker after he visited him in hospital.
Defoe carried Bradley out onto the pitch during Sunderland’s clash with Everton last month.
And the pair were inseparable again in the build-up to Gareth Southgate's second game as permanent boss.
Skipper Joe Hart actually swapped places with Defoe in the tunnel so he and Bradley could take the first steps onto the field holding each other's hands.
SunSport told you how Sunderland fan Bradley lit up when he received his first England call-up.
A heartwarming video showed him jumping around with his arms in the air.
He shouted: "Yay!"
And a message next to the clip read: "Bradley was over the moon to hear his best mate Defoe had been called up for the England game when he is mascot."
Most read in football
Bradley is fighting neuroblastoma - a rare form of cancer - for the second time.
He will begin his next round of treatment tomorrow.
Parents Gemma and Carl have said they are determined not to give up on their little boy, who developed a growth on the bottom of his back at the start of this year.