Beglian news outlet Het Laatste Nieuws organised the visit, bringing Carol in to catch up with the Socceroos goalkeeper ahead of the final against Anderlecht in Brussels.
The reunion clearly inspired Ryan to great heights as he pulled off a couple of cracking saves to keep Brugge ahead. Despite a late equaliser from Anderlecht, which Ryan had no chance of stopping, his team-mates rallied for a late injury-time winner, taking the match 2-1.
Carol revealed to TWG during the Asian Cup how football stardom had not changed her son's attitude at all, and he remained focused and grounded always.
Remember this?
Asian Cup runneth over: Mum Carol Ryan on her boy Mat
Ryan will hook up now with the Socceroos squad for its friendly international matches against world champion Germany and FYR Macedonia. All of Australia will be hoping Carol’s presence has a similar effect on the results of both those matches, too.
