Former Chelsea player Ray Wilkins has been described as ‘amazing’ after he gave away his match ticket to the Blues’ clash against Barcelona.
Wilkins was a much loved figure in the world of football. After his death in 2018, an ex soldier spoke to talkSPORT about the help Wilkins gave him whilst he was homeless in order to get his life back on track.
And now, former Eastenders actor Michael Greco has recalled a special gesture by Wilkins.
He told talkSPORT’s Jonny Owen and Friends: “One of the nicest blokes I’ve ever met and because he was a hero of mine growing up, to actually meet him and become friends with him was incredible.
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“I used to live near Stamford Bridge and we were playing Barcelona in the Champions League and we drew 1-1, it was the first time Lionel Messi had scored against us.”
Greco then recalled the special moment where Wilkins gave him his ticket to the match.
He continued: “Anyway, I didn’t have a ticket and Ray said come down to the bar and we’ll watch it in the bar.
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“So I went down to the bar in Chelsea and he comes up to me and goes, ‘have my ticket’. I was like, ‘no, no, no, I’m not having your ticket’.
“He goes, ‘look, you have my ticket, I’m here all the time, you have my ticket and I’ll watch it on the TV here’.
“So I went into the ground and had Ray Wilkins’ ticket and two weeks later he passed away.”
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Greco added: “When I heard, I burst into tears, not only because he was such an amazing person but because of those stories. All those stories came out about how much of an amazing person he was.
“You know what I loved about him? It was like when George Michael passed away, you found out all the amazing things he did for charity but he did it anonymously.
“For me, I love that. When people do things and they don’t tell people that they are doing that or put it on social media, or have to brag about doing something incredible, and they do it anonymously. That, for me, is heart-wrenching.”
Marcus Chan