Young Manchester United fan Anderson Pollard was recently given the all-clear following a battle with cancer and as his footballing role model was often on his mind throughout his treatment, the club organised for him to meet his hero: Alejandro Garnacho.
Seven-year-old Anderson from Redditch, Worcestershire was sadly diagnosed with a rare type of non-Hodgkins lymphoma in May last year after initially being diagnosed with nothing more than constipation.
However, after going back to the GP shortly after, he was immediately rushed to the hospital for a CT scan and was found to have multiple tumours in his stomach, meaning he had to go through months of aggressive treatment including chemotherapy, bone marrow aspirations and several surgeries.
Throughout his treatment, doctors used an emergency question to check his cognitive responsiveness and Anderson’s was a tap-in: ‘Who has played with Ronaldo & Messi?’ His answer each time, without fail, was ‘Garnacho‘. When Man United learned of this, they simply had to get the two of them together.
Garnacho meets his biggest fan, Anderson, after being given the all-clear.
How lovely is this?
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His intense treatment is a lot for anyone to go through, let alone a little kid, but Anderson fought hard and was thankfully declared cancer-free on 18 September 2023. The United Foundation does plenty with local hospitals and children’s charities but they couldn’t help but reach out to the Pollard family.
As his dad Sam says throughout the video, there was pretty much only one thing on the little lad’s mind throughout his time in Birmingham Children’s Hospital and that was his idol, so when United got in touch to arrange for a visit to the Carrington Training Complex, he was over the moon.
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Little did he know it was more than just a tour around the ground and that he would be surprised by none other than Garnacho himself. Signing his shirt and gifting him a ball, the Argentine winger called Anderson “a warrior” before presenting him win Manchester United’s Bravery Award for 2024.
Garnacho didn’t just come to meet the wide-eyed young fan, he also surprised him with a Bravery Award for beating cancer. (Credit: supplied)
And the heartwarming scenes didn’t stop there either, as even before his surprise visit to Carrington, Anderson and his family were gifted tickets to go and see the Reds in person.
It isn’t the first time we’ve seen Garnacho taking time out to meet superfans either, as he also surprised another youngster with a touching gesture after the Everton game last year.
Manchester Marathon to host the 2025 English Championships
Danny Jones
More running pedigree beckons for 0161 as this year’s Adidas Manchester Marathon has been officially selected as the host of the 2025 English Championships.
Set to take place on Sunday, 27 April, which is now the UK’s largest day of running in recent history with the London Marathon taking place simultaneously down the other end of the country, Greater Manchester is once again set to transform into one of the most popular races in Europe.
Known as favourite personal bests given its ‘fantastically flat’ nature, an estimated 36,000 runners are set to descend on the city centre and beyond, with countless more expected to spectate.
With the Manchester Marathon officially being selected for this year’s national championships by England Athletics, there’s even more reason to line the streets.
We are delighted to announce that England Athletics have selected us to host the English Championships 2025! 🏆We’ll be welcoming some of the best endurance athletes to the iconic 26.2-mile course in April.
As per an official update on the race website, the elite competition is due to see more than 50 athletes compete for titles, including 22 participants currently in the Men’s Category and 29 in the Women’s.
The line-up at present includes 2024 Men’s winner Adam Clarke, who finished the event in a ridiculous 02:16:29 last April and, fingers crossed, Women’s champion Charlie Arnell is expected to defend her title this year too.
Arnell, who won on her marathon debut, completed the Women’s race last year in a stunning 02:37:12 – a feat she trained for all whilst full-time for the NHS clinical systems team.
Simply staggering stuff.
The fierce competition between the elite waves will begin first thing on event day before the hordes of runners eventually follow in their wake, and we’re sure it’s going to be an absolute blockbuster.
As well as hosting the English Championships, this year will also mark the first new finish line in some time as the 2025 Manchester Marathon as the home stretch has been changed from the familiar tarmac of Talbot Road.
Last year’s Manchester Marathon was one of the biggest ever, not only seeing record numbers of participants but nearly £30 million raised for the local economy and £3.7m for charities alone.
A member of The Manc or two may or may not also be taking part again this year – by which we mean they definitely are – so watch this space and we hope to see you cheering on the sidelines.
Public places for this year’s marathon have well and truly sold out but you can still register your interest for 2026 HERE.
Indoor golf bar with state-of-the-art simulators to open in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
A stylish new bar is heading to Manchester where you can play simulator golf and shuffleboard with late-night DJs soundtracking your swing.
Pitch will be branching up north from London in March, promising 10 state-of-the-art simulator bays, a TRENDYGOLF concept store and plenty more.
The brand is set to open at Goods Yard, alongside Caravan (another London export) and Fenix.
Pitch says its arrival to Manchester will ‘change the way the sport is played in the city centre’, making golf more diverse and accessible to all.
Visitors to the stylish space, which will be open seven days a week, will be able to recreate the experience of real golf through their high-tech simulator technology.
You’ll be able to virtually visit the world’s most famous courses, including the Old Course at St Andrews Links and Pebble Beach in California.
Inside Pitch, there’ll also be a sleek bar and kitchen with a wide range of cocktails and dishes, including an Asian-inspired ’18 Greens’ menu.
The new venue will also extend the brand’s academy for beginner women golfers, in partnership with Adidas, which has welcomed more than 1,000 golfers in London.
The on-site TRENDYGOLF Concept Store will be open six days a week stocking brands like Lindeberg, Hugo Boss, Manors, Malbon Golf, Ralph Lauren and G/FORE.
Pitch is opening its first bar in Manchester, with golf simulators and more
Pitch co-founder and CEO Elliot Godfrey said: “We’re very excited to open our first venue in Manchester at the start of 2025, giving Pitch a presence in one of the UK’s busiest cities and one with a special relationship with sport.
“When we began the process of expanding beyond London, Manchester was one of the first places we set our sights on, and it’s fitting to open our innovative concept somewhere that has always striven to be at the forefront of development and progress.
“Pitch venues are the perfect places for social gatherings, and it is a way of playing and engaging with the game that is open to everyone.”
Co-founder Chris Ingham added: “Enterprise City is the perfect setting for a Pitch venue and our new branch will become part of one of the UK’s best social and cultural hotspots when it opens.
“With a TRENDYGOLF Concept Store and no shortage of food and drink options, we envision this being a place where Mancunians can spend hours socialising, golfing and dining in style.”
Pitch Manchester will open its golf bar at Goods Yard in March 2025.
Danny Jones -
1st February 2024 
