Ex-Sheffield United footballer Terry Kennedy plans to see the world after £1million lottery jwin
Sheffield United footballer Terry Kennedy who had to quit the sport due to injury to become a builder tells how he’ll travel the world with his girlfriend after £1million lottery jackpot win
Terry Kennedy, from Barnsley, played for Sheffield United and Harrogate TownHe had to quit the sport in 2016 due to a debilitating knee injuryA video of the moment he was informed of his lottery win went viral last monthHe and girlfriend Kay Yoxall are now planning to travel around the worldThey are going to New York in January and also want to see Australia and Asia
<!–
<!–
<!–<!–
<!–
(function (src, d, tag){
var s = d.createElement(tag), prev = d.getElementsByTagName(tag)[0];
s.src = src;
prev.parentNode.insertBefore(s, prev);
}(“https://www.dailymail.co.uk/static/gunther/1.17.0/async_bundle–.js”, document, “script”));
<!–
DM.loadCSS(“https://www.dailymail.co.uk/static/gunther/gunther-2159/video_bundle–.css”);
<!–
An ex-Sheffield United footballer who won a £1million lottery jackpot after being forced to give up his career due to a knee injury said he will travel the world with his girlfriend.
Terry Kennedy, 28, from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, played for Sheffield United and Harrogate Town and was a teammate of Manchester United captain Harry Maguire before having to leave the game in 2016.
A video of the moment he was informed of the life-changing win on the phone by an employee at lottery operators Camelot was shared widely on social media last month.
Mr Kennedy celebrated the win with his girlfriend Kay Yoxall with a week’s holiday in Tenerife and a long weekend in Dublin. But the couple are now planning a much bigger trip.
He said today: ‘I don’t enjoy building sites during the winter so am planning to get away and see the world.
‘Kay can take a break from work so we’d love to go across America, see Australia and also South East Asia.
‘We already have New York booked for January. The ideal plan would be never to work a British Winter again!’
Terry Kennedy, 28, from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, played for Sheffield United and Harrogate Town and was a teammate of Manchester United captain Harry Maguire before having to leave the game in 2016
He won a £1million lottery jackpot last month and now plans to travel the world with his girlfriend. Above: Mr Kennedy, 28, spraying champagne with his girlfriend Kay Yoxall, 25, after his win
Kennedy spent over 15 years at Sheffield United and was nicknamed ‘the ginger John Terry’ by fans.
He partnered England international Harry Maguire in the Yorkshire clubs’ youth ranks and was highly praised by manager Nigel Clough.
He came through the Sheffield United academy as a young player and made his debut with the Blades in 2011 before leaving the club for non-league side Alfreton Town in 2016 – but a recurring knee injury forced him to retire early that year.
Both Mr Kennedy and his girlfriend most often play the EuroMillions lottery but had to buy a ‘Lotto’ ticket last month when they were reminded that it was a Saturday.
Mr Kennedy only matched two numbers in the main Lotto draw, but that automatically gave him a free ‘Lucky Dip’ entry into the following Wednesday’s draw.
His second ticket matched the five main numbers and the bonus number in the November 10 results, meaning Mr Kennedy had won £1million.
Mr Kennedy, who now makes a living working on building sites, discovered he had won when he checked his ticket during his lunch break at work.
But both his father – who works with him – and his colleagues thought he was joking when he told them.
Both Mr Kennedy and his girlfriend most often play the EuroMillions lottery but had to buy a ‘Lotto’ ticket last month when they were reminded that it was a Saturday
Mr Kennedy was himself doubtful and refused to believe he was in luck even after he had scanned his ticket multiple times with the National Lottery app.
The penny finally dropped that he had actually won when he called Camelot.
Mr Kennedy bought the ticket in Dunsville Post Office near Doncaster.
The winning numbers in the draw were 10, 11, 18, 20, 37, 49 and the Bonus Ball was 5.
The footage of Mr Kennedy’s win, which was posted on Twitter, showed him nervously holding his lottery ticket as he held his phone to his ear and waited to find out if he had won.
Kennedy could be heard saying: ‘Oh my god!’ when the operator told him the good news
After a few moments, the lottery operator asked Kennedy if he was ready to receive the news and if he was ‘sitting down’.
Mr Kennedy nervously replied: ‘No I don’t think I am.’
Then the operator confirmed that he had scooped a jackpot of £1million, whilst his co-workers cheered and shouted in the background.
Mr Kennedy then said ‘Oh my god!’ before getting emotional.
He said today: ‘I was confused at first and just couldn’t be sure it was a winner.
Mr Kennedy is seen competing in the FA Youth Cup in 2011 with Harry Maguire shown right
‘Despite all the checks it isn’t until you hear on the phone that it is a £1M win that you really believe it.
‘Making the call in front of my mates and colleagues was brilliant and I immediately took them to the pub for a celebratory pint.’
Mr Kennedy and Ms Yoxall had already agreed that if they won the lottery while they were both at work, he would call her and tell her to come home.
Ms Yoxall said: ‘When he called and said come home I still wasn’t sure. I could hear all the lads in the background and felt sure it was a wind up.
‘My brother works with Terry and it was only when he Facetimed me that I could see it was true.’
