It has emerged the blonde lad who came within a few feet of lifting the famous cup was an 11-year-old fan from Liverpool.

Louis Kearns had evaded security at the full-time whistle to run on to the pitch for a photo with Fernando Torres and manager Rafael Benitez.

When he realised that he had in fact got by completely unnoticed, the chancer cheekily joined the rest of the squad on the march up the stairs of the Amsterdam ArenA to collect their medals.