Houston Dynamo forward Alberth Elis is tough to deal with on the field, but he showed Thursday that he has a big heart off of it.

Elis brought 80 Houston-area students to a private screening of the hit movie "Black Panther" on Thursday.

The Honduran paid for the students from Las Americas Newcomer School, which is designed for recent immigrant and refugee students who often have limited formal education and very little English abilities.

The 22-year-old, who is nicknamed "La Panterita" (The Little Panther) and often crawls on his hands and knees after scoring a goal said the movie's title character gave him the idea.

"This is something that the kids will enjoy and it brings me joy seeing them watch the movie," Elis said through a translator.
It was quite the experience for some students who experienced a movie theater for the first time.

"Some [of the students] have never been to a move theater, this is the first time because they've never had the opportunity," Principal Marie Moreno said.

"I have kids from Congo and Uganda and they've never had this opportunity."

La Pantera @alberthelis17 treated 80 students from @LasAmericasMS – which serves kids who recently moved to the US – to a screening of @theblackpanther today. #WakandaForever pic.twitter.com/am2BHsk6jY
— Houston Dynamo (@HoustonDynamo) March 9, 2018
Elis, who is making a big impact on and off the field in 2018, will next lead the Dynamo against Vancouver on Saturday at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston