Get your tissues ready for this one! When AB de Villiers announced his retirement, it broke his biggest fans heart, so he made it up to him in the most amazing way.
To be honest, when AB announced his retirement, it broke the nation’s heart! His biggest fan, Leo Sadler has the be the most passionate cricket fan in South Africa at the moment. He dreams of playing for the Proteas one day. Leo lives for cricket.
When he heard the news, he broke down, completely devastated by it. His mother, Elsabe didn’t know what to do for him so she wrote a letter to Jacaranda FM.
In her letter, she explained that Leo had a passion like she had never seen before. He watched every single match he could, plays for multiple teams and when his matches are done, he gets his dad to play in the garden with him. According to Elsabe, he knows every detail from the player’s names to their career stats.
Translated into English, this is part of what her letter said.
“AB’s retirement from international cricket dropped like a bomb in our house last night. As usual, I picked up my son from his hockey match at school and asked if he had heard that AB resigned, he thought I was joking but then heard the news on the radio.”
“When we arrived at home he could no longer hold it and broke down into tears, he cried heartbroken tears until he finally got angry and had to climb into the bed. His heart is broken.”
She then explained his love for the game as we mentioned above and confirmed that when there wasn’t a live match to watch, he would sit on YouTube watching and analysing old matches. She ended her letter off by thanking AB for being such an influential role model to her son.
“He dreams big and wants to play for the Proteas one day. The reason I share this with you today is that I sometimes wonder if the players realize how much they influence our children, how they look up and admire the players. They are role models and heroes.”
“AB you are a legend not just for the world but for my 14-year-old boy who follows you with great admiration and hopes to follow you in your footsteps one day. I do not think we could ask for a better role model for our son, THANK YOU!”
“A proud mother”
The letter was seen by Martin Bester, the Jacaranda Breakfast Host. Martin felt he needed to do something to help Leo out. So he set up an interview. Martin worked out a plan to get AB and Leo in the same room.
They told Leo that Martin would be interviewing him as part of a documentary about AB and his retirement while he was overseas. This is why he would be on camera.
Martin asked Leo if he had the chance to ask AB why he retired, would he do it? Leo said he would but he would feel nervous, so Martin asked him why? At the moment he was about to answer, AB de Villiers walked into the room to surprise Leo. He lit up with excitement and started to cry as his cricket hero walked over to hug him. They then sat on the couch and Leo got the chance to chat with AB.
You can watch the entire surprise in the video or listen to the radio interview below. It made us cry so be prepared.
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