Melvyn Xuereb and his family are massive football fans, especially when it comes to Tottenham Hotspurs. During a football forum with the three most important people of their favourite team – including manager Mauricio Pochettino – the 24-year-old Maltese man not only managed to ask the board a question… but also got a hug in return!

After a series of tough questions from other fans, Xuereb – who had travelled from his Gozitan hometown of Għajnsielem to meet family from Canada – had a very simple question to ask to lighten the mood. 

“It’s not really a question, I was actually wondering,” Melvyn started. “When we see the game and we have a big victory, you go out to the pitch and you hug your players. So I was wondering, can I get a hug from Mauricio Pochettino?” 

The Spurs manager quickly replied, “Of course” and, still beaming, walked off the podium to hug the Maltese man… and his father and sister, who were sitting next to him. “Mauricio, thank you, thank you!” Melvyn’s father Victor emotionally  added. 

One day later, the official Tottenham Hotspur Facebook page uploaded a video of the whole thing, and it’s already amassed over 200,000 views.

“If I go home now, I’m going to think it was all a dream,” Victor told an official Spurs TV interviewer. 

“I have no idea why I asked him that, it was a spur of the moment,” Xuereb told Lovin Malta. “I just wanted to soak in every second of it, I couldn’t stop smiling!”

It’s been a great experience for the Xuerebs in London. Earlier this month, they won the chance to attend the fateful Spurs’ Fans Forum. He was of course the one to break the news about the now famous Pochettino hug, sharing some photos from the night – and the special moment – with his Facebook friends. He even showed off a signed copy of a book specifically about Pochettino’s Spurs. 

And even though it’s only been a couple of days, the incident has already made Melvyn somewhat of a celebrity with Spurs diehards.

Melvyn, his father Victor and his teenage sister Victoria were at the Spurs – Stoke game last weekend, but also attended another match since the Pochettino hug; last night’s match against Brighton. 

“At yesterday’s match, I got recognised and had people hugging me and taking selfies with me,” Melvyn told Lovin Malta. “I had no idea I would create such a buzz from Spurs fans!”

Melvyn, his mother and his brother Manuel live in Gozo, taking care of their grandmother. Melvyn’s father and sister live in Canada. “We met halfway in England to watch Tottenham, because we’re all massive fans,” Manuel told Lovin Malta. “I happened to arrive in Malta on Monday, so I just about missed hugging Pochettino!”

All the Xuerebs will be spending Christmas together in Gozo.

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David Grech Urpani

Lovin Malta's Head of Content, Dave has been in journalism for the better half of the last decade. Prefers Instagram, but has been known to doomscroll on TikTok. Loves chicken, women's clothes and Kanye West (most of the time).