It will go down as one of the most joyful and heartwarming of football celebrations. The triumphant manager of Bristol City sprinted down the touchline, neatly caught a ballboy who leapt into his arms and swung him round and round after the team’s winning goal against Manchester United.
The celebration – as well as the result – was trending on Twitter and has been beamed around the world. Grown men and women were re-enacting it in Bristol into the early hours.
The City boss, Lee Johnson, said he had needed someone to hug after Korey Smith’s winner. Jaden, a pupil at Parson Street primary school just down the road from the Championship side’s Ashton Gate stadium, told Johnson he had made him dizzy.
Three amazing things that happened last night...
— BBC Radio Bristol (@bbcrb) December 21, 2017
• Jaden the ball boy and @LeeJohnsonCoach celebration was historic! ⚽️
• “Bristol City” was second worldwide trending on twitter! 🐣
• CITY BLINKIN’ WON!!! 👏 pic.twitter.com/TEwgUODEZS
Johnson, who is 1.68 metres (5ft 6in) tall, said: “Someone said I’d picked up my bigger brother. I didn’t know what to do. Laugh, cry, cuddle each other, no one knew. I was going to run on the pitch, then realised I couldn’t. So it was great to see him [the ball boy]. I needed to celebrate with someone.”
He added: “There was a great turn of pace down the line, the likes of which the fans haven’t seen from me. I just needed someone to cuddle, and luckily he was smaller than me so I could pick him up.”
Jaden said: “When Korey scored the goal, Lee Johnson ran down the sideline. I ran to Lee Johnson and he swung me around. It was really amazing. When he swung me round it made me feel dizzy. It was a competitive game – it was great to watch world-class players play.”
Jaden, described as a “City-mad fan” by his family, plays for Bristol City academy’s under-10s team as a striker and a winger. He started playing football at the age of five and was spotted by a scout for the academy months later. He was signed by the academy at the age of nine and has been a ball boy ever since.
His mother, Laura Neale, said: “He just stands out there in the cold and wet, through the good times and the bad times. To do it last night was amazing.”
Neale was at Ashton Gate for the match but did not see Johnson pick Jaden up. The family were unaware of the pictures and videos until they returned home later.
“It was just amazing to see,” Neale said. “To see Jaden’s face – it just made his day. He has been waiting for weeks and weeks to be ball boy at this game. It is definitely a moment to remember.”
Jaden’s school said it was proud of him, tweeting: “So incredibly proud of our amazing Jaden. We are loving seeing you everywhere.”
So incredibly proud of our amazing Jaden. We are loving seeing you everywhere and hearing you (and your mum) on the radio this morning. pic.twitter.com/a5KhnpYrLH
— Parson Street School (@parsonstreet) December 21, 2017
As for Smith, who scored the winning goal, there was no celebrating deep into the night for him. He went home after the game to do the night feeds for his baby.
