The FIFA World Cup is in full swing in the United States, and like every other year, there's a healthy dose of cards getting thrown for bad or questionable plays.
But adorably, one team of young players was interrupted by an excited future soccer player.
In a short video shared by Epic Clip Vault, a toddler dressed in his older brother's team uniform managed to sneak away from his mom, and before his mom could grab him, he ducked under the net bordering the field.
He then ran out onto the field, and when his brother saw him, he greeted him scooped him up and attempted to carry him off the field.
Then, the referee took notice and jokingly stormed over to the toddler, clearly ready to make the funny moment even funnier by committing to the bit.
Then he held up a red card while giving the child a pretend-stern look before the toddler turned around, looking slightly stunned by the consequences of trespassing onto the field mid-play.
You can watch the video here:
The video was also shared on the "Made Me Smile" subReddit, where Redditors were thoroughly amused by the clip.
Some could just imagine how that determined toddler managed to get away from his mom.
"The mom ALMOST caught him, LOL."
"The look on the referee’s face when he waved the red card was priceless." - Palomino_mare
"Based on experience, I'm sure she had only turned around for a second (probably grabbing a snack or water per the kids' request), the kid saw their opportunity and instantly took it." - the_ciamp
"I'd be willing to bet that mom was busy for a second at most. She might’ve had the audacity to blink, and the kid was off like a rocket! (Ask me how I know, LOL.)" - Twinsies620
"This video is so sweet all around! From mom being stopped by the net, to big brother getting little brother, and the ref finishing it up and speaking ‘kid.’ Five stars!" - Hungry-Storm-9878
Some loved how the referee handled the situation.
"I LIVE for content where grownups go along with kids' antics." - MoogleMeKupo
"That ref instantly knew what to do, what a good guy!" - Rozenor
"I love his shrug at the end like, 'Hey, I don't make the rules!'" - OmegaWhirlpool
"I think he's been waiting to use that red card for a WHILE and saw an opportunity, LOL." - Ressy03
"He has a huge grin on his face as soon as he sees the kid. It's great!" - WickedWrench
Others who had some refereeing experience were especially delighted by the moment.
"I'm a referee and I regularly red card little brothers, sisters, dogs, squirrels, and on one occasion two old women who were walking across the pitch, apparently entirely unaware there was a football game being played around them." - ThierryMercurry
"I once red-carded a dog who decided he would make a better goalie than the current one (to be fair, a reasonable assumption)."
"The dog didn't listen and decided to crouch down a bit so the dog could see the card (whilst waiting for the owner to come claim their dog, which should be on a lead when pitches are in use...)"
"That bloody dog jumped, took the card, and ran off..."
"I was going to restart the game and had a player ask what I'd do about red cards, and I was about to say something like, 'Don't make me need it' or 'It's ok it's only your dad who's likely to need it,' when one of the coaches boomed that 'he'll punt you off the pitch like they did In the good old days before cards.'"
"It was a very clean game after that, and I did get a slightly chewed and very wet card back that went straight in a bin..." - Gingrpenguin
"Several years ago, in my hometown, a paraglider emergency landed on a football pitch during a game. He, sadly, also got a red card." - Bhurmurtuzanin
The idea of a child running away from their mom is enough to make any parent sweat, but what could have easily turned into a stressful moment actually turned out to be a heartwarming one.
It might even be a core memory for the toddler that'll inspire him to go back out onto the field when he's older—and actually on the team this time.
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