Dylan Tombides facts for kids
Tombides warming up for West Ham United in 2011
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Dylan James Tombides | ||
| Date of birth | 8 March 1994 | ||
| Place of birth | Perth, Australia | ||
| Date of death | 18 April 2014 (aged 20) | ||
| Place of death | London, England | ||
| Height | 1.86 m | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Stirling Lions | |||
| 2010–2012 | West Ham United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2012–2014 | West Ham United | 0 | (0) |
| National team | |||
| 2011 | Australia U17 | 5 | (1) |
| 2014 | Australia U23 | 4 | (0) |
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Dylan James Tombides (born 8 March 1994 – died 18 April 2014) was a talented Australian footballer. He played as a striker for West Ham United in England. He also represented Australia on their national under-17 and under-23 teams.
Dylan spent some of his childhood in Macau and played football in Hong Kong. He joined West Ham United when he was 15 years old. Sadly, Dylan passed away at the young age of 20. To honor him, West Ham United decided to retire his shirt number, 38. This is a very special honor, given only to two players by the club, the other being the legendary Bobby Moore.
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Playing for Clubs
Dylan was born in Perth, Western Australia. He lived in City Beach and played youth football for a team called Stirling Lions. When he was 13, in 2007, he moved to Macau.
He then played in nearby Hong Kong with the Brazilian Soccer School. At 15, he joined West Ham United. He was a substitute for a Premier League game in May 2011. This was against Sunderland, but he did not get to play in that match.
On 25 September 2012, Dylan played his only professional game for West Ham. It was a League Cup match against Wigan Athletic. He came on as a substitute in the 84th minute.
Playing for Australia
Dylan played for Australia in the Under-17 World Cup in Mexico in 2011. He played in all four of Australia's games. His team reached the last 16 before being knocked out by Uzbekistan.
In their first game, he scored the winning goal against the Ivory Coast. Many Australian fans thought he could be as good as famous player Harry Kewell.
In January 2014, Dylan played for Australia in the AFC U-22 Championship in Oman. He played in games against the host team, Iran, Japan, and Saudi Arabia. Australia reached the quarter-finals in this tournament.
His Fight with Cancer
In mid-2011, Dylan found a lump. His doctor first thought it was harmless. However, it was later found to be cancer.
After a lot of treatment, including surgery, Dylan was told he was healthy again in June 2012. He went back to training and made his West Ham debut in September 2012. But in December, he had to start chemotherapy again. He even had two special treatments called stem cell transplants. By March, the cancer had spread to his liver.
Even after intense chemotherapy, Dylan bravely played in the Asian under-22 championship in January 2014. When he returned to England, he learned that his condition could not be cured. He passed away on the morning of 18 April 2014, with his family by his side.
The day after he died, before a game at the Boleyn Ground, Dylan's father and brother, Taylor, placed his number 38 shirt on the field. West Ham United announced that they would retire his number. This means no other player at the club will ever wear the number 38. This honor had only been given to Bobby Moore before. The captain of the opposing team, Mile Jedinak, who was also Australian, did not celebrate when he scored a goal in that match, showing his respect.
Dylan was cremated on 5 May 2014 in Padbury, Australia.
His Legacy
Dylan's memory lives on. In September 2015, a statue was put up at the Perth Oval in Australia to remember his life.
Some of his former teammates also honored him. George Moncur got a tattoo of Dylan's name on his arm. Elliot Lee chose to wear the number 38 shirt when he played for Luton Town.
On Easter Monday 2016, West Ham United held a special match for their captain Mark Noble. Noble gave the money from this match to three charities, and one of them was the DT38 Foundation, which helps fight cancer. Towards the end of the game, Dylan's brother, Taylor Tombides, played in the match wearing a number 38 shirt to honor Dylan. He even scored a goal!
Images for kids
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Fans' tribute to Dylan Tombides
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More tributes at Upton Park
See also
In Spanish: Dylan Tombides para niños
