91�ȱ�

A lifelong Newcastle United fan has a permanent reminder of his special meeting with team captain Kieran Trippier.

Ewan Barry met the star when he visited St Oswald's Hospice, where the 24-year-old has attended for more than a decade.

But the defender got a surprise when the season ticket holder asked him to sign his autograph on his arm, which he planned to get tattooed just an hour later.

“Kieran kept asking me, ‘Are you sure? I kept saying, ‘Yes, definitely!’ Once he knew I was serious, he was happy to do it,” said Mr Barry, from Jarrow, South Tyneside.

Trippier recently became an official ambassador for the charity, which is based in Gosforth, Newcastle.

Mr Barry, who has Friedrich Ataxia, a rare inherited disease that causes progressive damage to the nervous system, has been attending the hospice since 2011.

The lifelong fan recently got a Newcastle United-themed tattoo on his shoulder, and when he discovered he was going to meet his idol he devised a plan for the next one.

He admitted the England star was initially reluctant to sign his arm when he told him he was planning to turn it into a lasting memento.

"Even though he’s a senior footballer from Newcastle United, he took time out of his day to visit the hospice. He was so nice to everyone and very easy to talk to," Mr Barry added.

Mr Barry, who attends every home game with his dad and two brothers, said he was delighted with the new addition, which includes the number two, the player's shirt number at Newcastle United.

“When you love something so much, you’ve got to show that passion," he added.

“The tattoos are my way of showing how much the club means to me.”

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