An England fan who spent £10,000 of his life savings to take his 80-year-old grandad to the World Cup has been stunned after a company inspired by his story gifted him the money back. Jacob Allmendinger, 21, from North Ferriby, East Yorkshire, sacrificed the cash he had saved for a house deposit to take Geoff Golliker on the trip of a lifetime to the USA and Mexico.
How the Trip Happened
Jacob had been taken to Hull City games by his grandad since childhood and wanted to return the favour. The pair travelled to New York and Atlanta for matches against Panama and DR Congo, and witnessed England's historic 3-2 win at the Azteca Stadium against Mexico. During their time abroad, they were stopped in the street by people recognising them after their heartwarming story went viral.
The Crypto Casino Promise
Jacob was contacted on social media by US-based online crypto casino Metawin, which vowed to pay back the money if England beat Panama by more than two goals. When England only won 2-0, the company took to X (formerly Twitter) to say they would do the same if England beat DR Congo. After the 2-1 win, Jacob was stunned to find the £10,000 in his bank account.
"I was amazed, it was an incredible gesture really," Jacob said. "They had contacted me on social media about the story and tweeted about paying the money back if we beat Panama by more than two goals. When we only won 2-0 they said they would still pay £10,000 if we won against DR Congo by any score. I didn't quite believe it, to be honest, until I looked at my bank and it was there. I was just in shock."
Plans for the Money
Jacob said he will save the money for now. "I think I'll save the money until I get back home. I'll put it in a savings account for now and see what happens after the next couple of months. We could go to the European Championships, I could buy a house, anything is possible. It's just great to have options."
The pair are still in Mexico and fly to Miami for the quarter-final. Jacob described the Mexico game as "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."
Public Reaction
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. It just makes us cherish this time more, really." Geoff 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. The Mexican fans were absolutely fantastic."
Before the trip, Jacob, who had saved for five years for a house, said: "I can always make money back, I'm at the age where I can afford to miss out on a house for two or three years. But I won't ever get to go to the World Cup with my grandad again."
