Raheem Sterling pays funeral costs for Crystal Palace youth player Damary Dawkins who died of cancer at the age of 13

Raheem Sterling will cover the funeral costs for Crystal Palace youth player Damary Dawkins.

Dawkins passed away last month at the age of 13 after a battle with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.


Sterling had supported a campaign by the Dawkins family to find a suitable stem cell donor for Damary.

The Manchester City winger paid tribute to the youngster after scoring in England’s 5-0 win over the Czech Republic last month – lifting his shirt to reveal a picture of the two of them together.

“Damary was a special young man who touched a lot of lives, including my own,” said Sterling.

“Positive until the very end, he was an example to us all.”