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Dylan James Tombides, (8 March 1994 – 18 April 2014) was an Australian footballer who played as a striker for West Ham United and the Australian under-17 and under-23 teams.
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Tombides played youth football in Australia with Stirling Lions SC and Hong Kong before joining West Ham United aged 15. Playing for West Ham in their reserve team he was an unused substitute in the Premier League game on 22 May 2011 against Sunderland. On 25 September 2012, he made his professional debut, in his only game, for West Ham in a 4–1 home defeat to Wigan Athletic in theLeague Cup coming on as an 84th-minute substitute for Gary O’Neil.
In 2011, Tombides was diagnosed with testicular cancer, discovered after a random drugs test taken shortly after he had played forAustralia’s U-17 team in a 4–0 defeat against Uzbekistan in the Under-17 World Cup in Mexico In June 2012, after treatment, Tombides was told he was back to full health and returned to training, and made his West Ham debut in September 2012. He died on the morning of 18 April 2014, with his family surrounding his bedside. On 19 April 2014 before a game against Crystal Palace at the Boleyn Ground, his father and brother Taylor, laid a shirt on the centre spot which carried Tombides’ squad number 38 and his name. West Ham United announced that this number would be retired from use, an honour only ever given before by the club to Bobby Moore.
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Tombides played youth football in Australia with Stirling Lions SC and Hong Kong before joining West Ham United aged 15. Playing for West Ham in their reserve team he was an unused substitute in the Premier League game on 22 May 2011 against Sunderland. On 25 September 2012, he made his professional debut, in his only game, for West Ham in a 4–1 home defeat to Wigan Athletic in theLeague Cup coming on as an 84th-minute substitute for Gary O’Neil.
In 2011, Tombides was diagnosed with testicular cancer, discovered after a random drugs test taken shortly after he had played forAustralia’s U-17 team in a 4–0 defeat against Uzbekistan in the Under-17 World Cup in Mexico In June 2012, after treatment, Tombides was told he was back to full health and returned to training, and made his West Ham debut in September 2012. He died on the morning of 18 April 2014, with his family surrounding his bedside. On 19 April 2014 before a game against Crystal Palace at the Boleyn Ground, his father and brother Taylor, laid a shirt on the centre spot which carried Tombides’ squad number 38 and his name. West Ham United announced that this number would be retired from use, an honour only ever given before by the club to Bobby Moore.