The 15-year-old hit the headlines in the Champions League win over Olympiacos, and his dream week is set to get even better
Jose Mourinho is looking forward to enjoying a pre-match meal with Callum Hynes, the ball boy who made headlines with his quick thinking in Tottenham’s 4-2 win over Olympiacos on Tuesday night.
The teenager raced to the sideline as Spurs chased an equaliser in Mourinho’s Champions League debut in north London, throwing the ball to right-back Serge Aurier.
Aurier then fed Lucas Moura down the right channel, with the Brazilian crossing for Harry Kane to finish to make it 2-2.
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“He is coming for lunch, for a pre-match meal with the boys [on Saturday],” Mourinho confirmed in a press conference.
“Happy days for the kid and hopefully we gave him amazing memories for the rest of his life, so beautiful for him.”
Hynes will link up with the squad ahead of their three o’clock kick-off in the Premier League with Bournemouth on Saturday, as Spurs look to continue their perfect record under Mourinho so far.
At 15, he is an elder statesman of Spurs’ ball boy line-up, with six years on the sidelines under his belt – valuable experience which Mourinho talked up earlier in the week.
“I love intelligent ball boys like I was, and this kid today was brilliant,” Mourinho told BT Sport after the game.
“He read the game, understands the game and made an important assist, an important moment for him and he will never forget it.”
As a former ball boy himself, Mourinho knows the value of getting the ball back to players as quickly as possible.
Indeed, some have speculated that his high praise for Hynes may well be designed in part to encourage the rest of Spurs’ ball boys and girls to remain alive to what is happening in the game.
With their dangerous wide forwards and attack-minded full-backs, Spurs may well prioritise quick breaks out wide with Mourinho known to favour a counter-attacking style.
After his own big moment, Tuesday’s hero Hynes admitted he had been too caught up in doing his job to see the fruit of his efforts.
“It’s all a bit surreal,” he told Tottenham’s website. “I was just doing my job and I still can’t quite believe what happened.
“I didn’t even see the goal! I was busy getting the ball that had come off and then I heard the cheer. I turned around and Harry was celebrating.”