Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh Live
National
Naina Bhardwaj & Iona Young

West Lothian dad proud of Rangers mad son who congratulated Frankfurt fans after win

A West Lothian dad was beaming with pride after his young Rangers mad son congratulated Frankfurt fans on their Seville win.

Cooper Millar, aged 10, of West Lothian, made the trip to the Spanish city for the Europa League Final to cheer on the Ibrox side with his dad, Dale Millar, aged 33.

They stayed in Villamartin for four days before embarking on the seven-hour bus journey to Seville at 6am on the day of the game, the Daily Record reports.

Despite ultimately losing out to the German team on penalties, Cooper, a season ticket holder, managed to keep a smile on his face as he was so grateful to be there.

READ MORE: First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tests positive for Covid and is experiencing 'mild' symptoms

Speaking to the Record, dad Dale said: "We got a taxi from the stadium and were exhausted, I was actually greeting at the end of the game.

"I said to Cooper, 'Keep your chin up, we might be here next year' and he replied, 'It's fine, we did well to get here.'

"He's like a wee old man, it was definitely lump in the throat material."

The dad continued: "We had been there all day in 40 degree heat and we were waiting for the bus for almost two hours.

"We were all dejected, shattered and a bit delirious. Cooper was initially sitting on the pavement and just had his hand out, folk just started slapping his hand and he stood up and started hi-fiving them, shaking their hands and cuddling them.

"There were folk next to us and everyone just started shaking hands with each other but it was Cooper who started it all off."

The video has been widely shared across social media, garnering hundreds of likes and comments applauding the 10-year-old.

Dale noted: "Every second comment was 'a lot of adults could learn off of this wee boy.'"

Cooper, who attended his first match at just two-years-old, responded to the praise by playfully asking his dad: "Am I famous?"

Dale continued: "Obviously, you try and teach your kids the best way to live and be gracious in defeat and how to conduct yourself.

"I've been a season ticket holder since I was seven at Ibrox and it's been a family thing, my great grandad, grandad, dad, my uncles.

"We like to go and win but the other side of it, there's a lot of bigotry and the ugly side of it, I've tried to keep him away from all that.

"Cooper's great, he doesn't bring it home with him. I've said as long as it doesn't affect your schoolwork or going out with your pals.

"Some of my best pals are big Celtic fans who go to Celtic games and we all have a drink after. It's just the way it should be."

Sign up for Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox

Dale added: "We never saw one bit of bad blood. The Frankfurt fans were brilliant and all saying, 'unlucky' and 'next time.'

"They were saying 'hope you win the cup on Saturday' and we all congratulated them on their win.

"The whole time we were in Seville, we never saw on bit of bother.

"Rangers and Frankfurt fans were all drinking together, they were all playing football together. It was a great atmosphere."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.