Ballymena schoolboy walks out as mascot for Celtic FC’s Champions League clash

A student from Ballymena is incredibly excited after getting the chance to be a mascot for Celtic FC during a Champions League match.

Eight-year-old Kaleb Dunlop was among the 22 young mascots at Celtic Park during the match against Slovan Bratislava on Wednesday evening in Glasgow.

His grandfather Patrick shared with the Irish News that it was a dream realized for the young supporter of Celtic.

"Kaleb is obsessed with football," he mentioned. "We even caught him sneaking his Celtic jersey into his schoolbag so he can change into it before he gets home and go straight out to play."

"The Celtic foundation regularly organizes opportunities for kids to become mascots, and we would submit Kaleb's name without expecting much to come of it. However, we received an email last week informing us that he had been selected. It definitely caught us by surprise!"

The student from St Colmcille’s Primary School has attended many games with his grandfather, but nothing could have readied him for the energy of the match on Wednesday night.

Kaleb was seen pressing his hands against his ears before the game started, overwhelmed by the intense energy of the crowd in the stadium.

"I attempted to caution him that the noise would be much greater than anything we had experienced at the games we went to," Patrick mentioned.

I told him at the stadium that he was about to experience an atmosphere unlike anything he had ever seen, as the Champions League brings a whole new level of excitement.

He mentioned that the sound on the ground was incredibly intense, and he couldn't resist enjoying it; every moment was fantastic, creating an amazing vibe. Kaleb is really excited about the experience.

Celtic dominated Slovan Bratislava, winning decisively with a score of 5-1.

Brendan Rodgers' team scored four goals in the second half, igniting their league season.