It only lasted a few seconds, but when a little Thai mascot hugged Steven Gerrard last month before kick-off in Bangkok, he unwittingly played his part in creating one of the defining images of the club's fourth visit to Thailand.

The editor of the Reds' official Thai website captured the moment Guitar-Chayanont Saeton broke with normal mascot protocol and threw his arms around the Liverpool and England captain in absolute adoration of his hero.

The photograph became a social media sensation after being published on Liverpool's official Thai Facebook page and whilst 99,315 people 'Liked', shared or commented on the photo, others simply wanted to know more about the young kid in the picture.

Saranya Panitsakul, a journalist on Thailand.liverpoolfc.com - the official LFC Thai website - took on the task of tracking him down and discovered Guitar was one of the winners of Standard Chartered Thailand's Kid Mascot competition.

The competition sought to find four young children to walk on to the pitch with the players when Liverpool took on the Thailand national team on July 28.

To put himself in contention for one of the four coveted places, Guitar had to send in a written application, including a short personal biography, photo and his main reason for wanting to be a mascot.

In his letter, he wrote: "I'm a small boy so I spend most of my time studying, but I love playing sport. I would like Liverpool to be my inspiration when I take part in sports and games."

As part of the selection process, he underwent an interview and was asked, 'What are you going to do if your friend skips a class?'

He answered: "I don't want my friends to skip classes; instead I want them to play sport in their free time and to understand when is the best time to study or to play." He then ended the interview with a rendition of 'You'll Never Walk Alone', clearly impressing the selection committee, who confirmed Guitar as one of the four winners.

"I felt really proud," he told Thailand.liverpoolfc.com of his big moment walking out alongside Gerrard. "Before going on to the pitch I gave Stevie a high-five and then he placed his hand reassuringly on me. I could barely move with excitement."

Guitar told the Thai LFC website that he is a fervent Liverpool supporter and Gerrard is his favourite player.

"Stevie is a very good footballer," he said. "He inspires me. When I had a chance to walk on to the pitch with him, I gave him a 'wai' (a gesture of respectful greeting used by Thai people) in order to make him feel proud and I gave him a hug. It was so warm and comforting."

The day after the game, Guitar went to school as normal and the teacher asked him to give a talk in front of the other students about his experience, in order to help inspire them. He said to the other students: "I want everyone to feel part of my experience."

When asked what he would like to be when he grows up, he didn't need to pause for thought: "I want to be an engineer, an astronaut or a football player.

"Meeting Steven Gerrard was truly inspirational as I now know that being a professional football player is a great thing and I would love to be able to achieve what he has one day. I would also like to say to Steven, 'You'll Never Walk Alone'."

Asked if he had a message for the Liverpool fans who clicked 'Like' on the photo on Facebook, Guitar thought for a moment and said: "I would like everyone to have a chance to walk with Steven Gerrard like I did."

For more great stories like this one, Thai supporters should visit Thailand.liverpoolfc.com - the official LFC website in Thailand. To head to the website today, click here.