Supergran goes viral with her jaw-dropping football trick shots

Supergran goes viral after jaw-dropping footballing trick shots
Supergran goes viral after jaw-dropping footballing trick shots

Story and video from SWNS

A football-loving supergran has become an internet sensation after videos of her performing jaw-dropping football trick shots from her wheelchair went viral.

Violet Slater, 85, from Telford in Shropshire, has been dubbed 'Granaldo' after footage of her volleying the ball into the back of the net won her legions of fans, including Gary Lineker and Dele Alli.

Her grandson Kodi, 11, has been sharing the clips of his gran's footballing talents to raise people's spirits during the coronavirus lockdown.

They have since been shared hundreds of thousands of times after being uploaded to social media by Violet's 34-year-old son Phil.

In one comical video, Violet can be seen doing the trademark 'Ravanelli' celebration pulling her shirt up over her head after hitting the back of the net.

Others show her casually volleying the ball into the top corner from the confines of a garden chair and a 'no-look' chip from her living room sofa.

Violet found a new passion she could share with her family and took up football following her husband's death from dementia at the age of 87 in 2017.

After her son Phil built a mini football pitch in the garden of his home, Violet started to join in their practice sessions and found she loved the sport.

Violet said: "It's put the life back into me to keep on going. Its so exciting to know all my friends and family are watching."

"I get so carried away watching football, especially if it's my favourite team Wolves."

"My deceased husband was a keen fan."

When asked how long each trick shot takes to perfect, she replied: "As long as a piece of string."

"Sometimes longer than others but I don't like to be beaten so I persevere until I get it right."

Phil, who is now a full-time carer for his mum, said he had football to thank for bringing the entire family together following the death of his father.

He said: "She was heartbroken after what happened with my dad."

"We found a passion for football in her which came from my boy. We started getting her out in the garden and we both trained her up."

"The smile was back on her face, she was loving the activity and exercise and it created an unbreakable bond between the three of us."

"It's amazing to see my mum now get involved in football in the same way as my dad. She's so determined and she absolutely loves it."

"You can see by the massive grin on her face when she nails a trick."

You can see Violet in action in the video above.

Advertisement