Alex Morgan had a custom 'Luca' T-shirt ready for her biggest fan and she met him after the game as well.
Alex Morgan is one of the United States women’s national soccer team's biggest star, if not the biggest, and she has passionate fans cheering her on at every game. One particular fan caught her eye during the team's 3-0 victory over Haiti on July 4. It was a 2-year-old boy named Luca, who simply couldn't contain his joy after seeing Alex Morgan at the game. The video, posted by Luca's mom Ana Camelo Jackson, showed the toddler screaming his heart out as he cheered her on. He kept shouting "Alex Morgan," generating noise levels that his vocal cords shouldn't have been capable of. Morgan didn't disappoint her youngest fan either as she scored two goals in the game, reported TODAY. Luca was seen wearing a T-shirt reading: "Believe."
We celebrated 4th of July in Monterrey by going to a @USWNT game. @alexmorgan13 Luca is one of your biggest fans and loved seeing your two goals ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/vOH6r3yZy2
— Ana Camelo Jackson (@anacamelo) July 5, 2022
The video was posted on Twitter where it went viral, with the video being watched more than 265,000 times. "We celebrated the 4th of July in Monterrey by going to a @USWNT game. @alexmorgan13
Luca is one of your biggest fans and loved seeing your two goals," wrote Jackson. “The sweetest fan!!” Morgan replied. The USWNT star then posted a video reacting to Luca's video. “Is this not the most adorable thing you’ve ever seen?” she asked. “The shirt, the cheer. Cuteness overload. His name’s Luca. Luca, you would be besties with Charlie,” she said, referring to her 2-year-old daughter. “And tomorrow you have something coming your way, so be on the lookout.”
From mom to mom thank you @alexmorgan13 !! pic.twitter.com/EEfrCUtsFR
— Ana Camelo Jackson (@anacamelo) July 7, 2022
Morgan gifted Luca an autographed soccer jersey with her No. 13 on it. Instead of her name, the T-shirt had his name—Luca. He wore it immediately and even blew a kiss to Morgan, who also met him after the game. She took him in her hands and posed for pictures in an adorable moment. Luca has three sisters, and his eldest sister Anabella, 6, is a massive soccer fan and that's where Luca gets his interest in the game. "Anabella loves Alex Morgan because of how hard she plays and how good she is scoring goals. She also loves her pink headbands. She has a jersey of Alex Morgan at home. So Luca has heard a lot about Alex Morgan his whole life, and naturally began to like her as well," said Jackson. "I think when he was screaming her name at [that] game, he increased his intensity because she wasn't turning around," Jackson said. "He really thought she could hear him and that she should respond. So naive and cute."
Jackson said she's been swarmed with messages about Luca's viral video. She also revealed that Luca himself fought many battles to reach this point, after he was born with multiple congenital heart defects and had to undergo open-heart surgery at two weeks of life. "We think part of him knows that he almost didn’t make it, which is why he has such a passion for life and an amazing spirit," she said. "He makes everyone smile, as this viral experience has shown!"
Alex Morgan and the likes of Megan Rapinoe have played a huge role in popularizing women's soccer in the U.S., often drawing huge crowds at their games. As we reported earlier this year, the U.S. women's soccer team won a landmark legal battle to be paid the same as the men's team. Players including Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan reached a $24 million settlement with the U.S. Soccer Federation after suing the body over unequal pay with men’s team players. "For us, this is just a huge win in ensuring that we not only right the wrongs of the past, but set the next generation up for something we only dreamed of,” said Rapinoe. The U.S. soccer body will pay men and women at an equal rate in all friendlies and tournaments, including the World Cup. The decision comes after a group of five U.S. Women’s National Team players filed an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaint over inequality in pay and treatment in 2016, reported NBC News.