A mascot has gone viral for his incredibly wholesome reaction to meeting Chelsea and Real Madrid stars ahead of the two teams' Champions League quarter-final second leg. Plenty has been made of footballers and their interactions with mascots of late.Arsenal's players were slammed for allegedly failing to acknowledge a young girl waiting for them prior to their match against West Ham on Sunday. And while the girl's father has since brushed off any complaints, some still believe that Mikel Arteta's side should have afforded the mascot more attention. However, in this case, the delight on the young mascot's face was clear for all to see.
Mascot's heartwarming interaction with Chelsea and Real Madrid players
In the clip, the young boy can be seen waiting in the tunnel at Stamford Bridge before the game.
"Kante, Kante," he shouts, as he spots the Frenchman coming through.
"Courtois, Courtois," he then exclaims - evidently still feeling a soft spot for the former Blues shot-stopper.
"Chelsea's going to win," he adds - prompting the Belgian to let out a grin.
And the boy's excitement didn't stop there.
"It's Joao Felix," he stresses, before adding: "His card on FIFA [23] is rated 95."
Mascot's reaction to meeting Benzema
Though the mascot was no doubt delighted to meet so many players from both teams, it was his interaction with Karim Benzema that proved to be the most wholesome.
"Benzema, Benzema, is your hand ok?", the boy can be heard asking.
In response, the Madrid striker puts out his and offers the boy a handshake.
Overcome with emotion, the mascot then clutches his hand and even lets out a scream.
Check out the clip below:
VIDEO: Mascot's reaction to meeting Chelsea and Real Madrid players
Fans react to young Chelsea mascot
"Awesome! This is what football is about," said one Twitter user.
"I would react the same way if I shook hands with Benzema," added a second.
A third said: "Yeah, that's a proper fan, bro can't believe his eyes."
Chelsea humbled by Real Madrid
The Blues' hopes of any European silverware are now over, after they were defeated 2-0 at Stamford Bridge and 4-0 on aggregate.
Brazilian star Rodrygo scored twice after half-time to leave Frank Lampard winless after four games back in charge of his former club.
It's been a dismal season for Chelsea and the gulf in class between the two teams was evident across both legs.
Though Lampard's side manufactured a number of chances, they lacked a cutting-edge in front of goal and their absence of a recognised striker was once again telling.
Attention will now turn to planning for next season. Who the manager will be though, that's anyone's guess.