Harry Wilson is a 16-year-old soccer star who made his international debut with the Wales national team on Tuesday. As a result, Wilson’s grandfather is $200,000 richer and able to retire a year earlier than expected.
Wilson’s grandfather, 62-year-old Peter Edwards, was so confident that his grandson would one day grow up to be a soccer star that he put his money where his mouth was 15 years ago — when Harry was still an infant. Edwards found a bookmaker in Wrexham to give him 2,500/1 odds that the 18-month-old Wilson would one day play for Wales. He placed a wager of 50 British pounds, or roughly $80.
On Tuesday, Wilson made his Wales debut in the 87th minute of a 1-1 draw.
“I was shattered because I had to wait for 85, 86 minutes before he came on and I was panicking because they’d already substituted twice, so I thought he wasn’t going to make it,” Edwards told BBC News. “But when he came on I had another glass of wine. (I was) a proud granddad first for sure. I told my wife at half-time that my pulse was 106 – I didn’t know whether that was good or bad.”
At 16 years and 207 days old, Wilson is the youngest player to ever take the pitch for Wales. Edwards said Wilson used to chase a soccer ball around the house when he could barely walk. He tried to place a second wager when Harry was 12 and enrolled in the Liverpool FC soccer academy, but the old man was turned away because of the substantial bet he already had pending.
We have told you about plenty of insane sports bets in the past, but this is easily one of the most unique. Plenty of grandparents have blind loyalty toward their grandchildren. Most of them aren’t rewarded for it with $200,000.
H/T Sports Grid via SI Hot Clicks
