'It made my life': Tottenham ball boy on getting a hug from Jose Mourinho

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Jim van Wijk28 November 2019

Tottenham ball boy Callum Hynes felt he was just "doing his job" after a bit of quick thinking helped the team fight back to beat Olympiacos 4-2 in the Champions League - and left new manager Jose Mourinho singing his praises.

By swiftly retrieving the ball early in the second half on Tuesday night, the 15-year-old schoolboy allowed Serge Aurier to release Lucas Moura with a throw-in and the Brazilian then set up Harry Kane to haul the hosts level at 2-2.

Having trailed 2-0, Spurs then went on to make it a comfortable finish after further goals from Aurier and Kane, with the victory securing a place in the last 16.

In his post-match press conference, Mourinho said the youngster "understands the game, reads the game, he's not there just to look to the stands, or to the lights, or to the scarves. He's there living the game and playing the game very, very well".

The Spurs boss had hoped to be able to invite Callum into the dressing room to join the celebrations, but he had already set off on the journey home to Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, with his mum and dad - revising for a maths exam using a torch in the car.

While enjoying his moment in the spotlight, the teenager, in his sixth season as a Spurs ball boy, intends to keep himself grounded.

"It's all a bit surreal. I was just doing my job and I still can't quite believe what happened," he said in an interview with the official Tottenham website.

"I didn't even see the goal! I was busy getting the ball that had come off (the pitch) and then I heard the cheer. I turned around and Harry was celebrating.

"I looked at the replay on the screen and watched exactly what happened. You can see from my smile it was just unbelievable."

He added: "Jose didn't have to do that. It was really nice of him to come over to me.

"It's made my day, my life, really. I love Spurs and it was an amazing moment I'll never forget."​

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