David Beckham has paid an emotional tribute to fundraiser 20-year-old Kirsty Howard, who he considered his good luck charm.

Howard had been suffering from a rare heart disease and lost her battle to the terminal illness on Saturday. Beckham posted an emotional message on Twitter to pay his last tribute to the girl. Howard had a very significant role in Beckham’s life as the ace footballer used to consider her his lucky mascot.

Words cannot describe how amazing this young lady has been over the years .. Kirsty has been defying doctors for many years and whilst doing that she has been raising millions of pounds for terminally ill children... I met Kirsty in 2002 when she became the nations and my good luck charm for the game against Greece , we also met the queen together in Manchester so you could say we have spent some amazing moments together over the years and it was an inspiration to meet such a brave young lady with so much drive for helping others.. My love and thoughts go to kirsty's parents and sisters as this inspirational young lady will be missed ... My heart and love goes to Kirsty for letting me be a small part of your world over the years.. Rest in peace ❤️❤️

A photo posted by David Beckham (@davidbeckham) on

Beckham posted an old picture with Howard, where she is sitting on his lap. Both of them are sporting soccer jerseys. In the accompanying post, Beckham reminisced about the times he spent with Howard.

He met the little girl for the first time in 2002 when they came together to launch the Manchester Commonwealth Games, according to Metro. Howard was the mascot for the World Cup qualifying match that was played between England and Greece in 2002. They even went to meet Queen Elizabeth II together in Manchester and presented the Jubilee Baton to the queen in the opening ceremony of the 2002 Commonwealth Games.

Born on Sept. 20, 1995 in Manchester, Howard had been suffering from a rare heart condition. She had a back-to-front heart and was only the second person known in the world who suffered from this incurable condition.

During her lifetime, she was known for her charity work and was the figurehead of The Kirsty Club. This charitable foundation was formed to collect funds for Francis House, the hospital where she was being treated. She even started the Great Manchester Run in 2003 and took part in the race every year, even when she was wheelchair-bound.

Howard breathed her last at Manchester Royal Infirmary with parents and sisters -- Zoe and Kim, by her side, according to a spokesman from The Kirsty Club.

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