![](https://imageresizer.static9.net.au/J3j2nt2omDfLFD9wa0BtgTrIyO0=/750x0/https%3A%2F%2F1.800.gay%3A443%2Fhttps%2Fcf-images.ap-southeast-2.prod.boltdns.net%2Fv1%2Fstatic%2F664969388001%2F7727ffba-2855-4e8a-83f4-827cb77efaaf%2Fd8fbe592-ddc5-43e7-8251-d9d77f88ea5c%2F640x360%2Fmatch%2Fimage.jpg)
The 12 boys who were trapped for nearly two weeks in a flooded cave in Thailand have been given the VIP treatment by English soccer team Manchester United.
The Wild Boars soccer team were hugged by manager Jose Mourinho at United’s training ground on Saturday before watching the Red Devils beat Everton 2-1 in an English Premier League match on Sunday.
Wearing red and white United scarves, the boys – now aged 11 to 17 – watched the action from the exclusive directors' box at Manchester’s Old Trafford.
![The 12 boys who were trapped for nearly two weeks in a flooded cave in Thailand have been given the VIP treatment by English football team Manchester United.](https://imageresizer.static9.net.au/FRy9LEuL2Ei6XBg9BMT2XMhiRH0=/500x0/https%3A%2F%2F1.800.gay%3A443%2Fhttps%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2F_%2Fmedia%2F2018%2F10%2F29%2F11%2F56%2F20181029_THAIBOYSMANCHESTER_AAP1.jpg)
And in moving scenes, the boys collectively clasped their hands and bowed to supporters in the stadium who gave them a standing ovation.
The boys attended the match at the invitation of Manchester United, who tweeted after the June 2018 rescue: "We would love to welcome the team from Wild Boars Football Club and their rescuers to Old Trafford this coming season."
Watching the English team take to the field was a dream come true for the boys and their coach, 25-year-old Ekapol Chanthawong.
The group was exploring Chiang Rai's Tham Luang cave network on June 23 when a downpour flooded the tunnels, leaving them trapped.
They survived nine days on murky water dripping from rocks before they were discovered on a muddy mound by divers.
![The Wild Boars bowed as they were cheered by supporters at the Old Trafford.](https://imageresizer.static9.net.au/6gQoUvYTaUSe49jz4zyiRe-IrXU=/500x0/https%3A%2F%2F1.800.gay%3A443%2Fhttps%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2F_%2Fmedia%2F2018%2F10%2F29%2F11%2F57%2F20181029_THAICAVEMANCHESTER_AAP3.jpg)
In scenes that gripped the world, the boys and their coach were successfully rescued between July 8 and 10 after international cave diving experts evacuated them one by one.
Rescuers gave the stranded team anti-anxiety drugs to ensure they remained calm during the harrowing rescue.
![Thai cave rescue](https://imageresizer.static9.net.au/NCpvEKrF7gBYyDoJYIblzHUyj3w=/500x0/https%3A%2F%2F1.800.gay%3A443%2Fhttps%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2F_%2Fmedia%2FNetwork%2FImages%2F2018%2F07%2F12%2F10%2F00%2FThaicave120718RS.jpg)
"We are not sure if this is a miracle, a science, or what. All the thirteen Wild Boars are now out of the cave," the Navy SEAL unit, which led the rescue, said on its Facebook page at the time.
Football's world governing body FIFA had invited the boys and their coach to attend the World Cup final in Moscow between France and Croatia on July 15, but due to medical reasons they were unable to go.
Earlier this month, the Wild Boars played a friendly match at Argentina's Monumental Stadium, which hosted the 1978 World Cup final.
Wearing an all purple kit, the Wild Boars played leading Argentine club River Plate's Argentina's Under-13 team in a game that finished 3-3.
![The Wild Boars attended the Youth Olympic Summer Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina in October.](https://imageresizer.static9.net.au/6Mjgb4VNYQonN_hVkqrZOgxavVs=/500x0/https%3A%2F%2F1.800.gay%3A443%2Fhttps%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2F_%2Fmedia%2F2018%2F10%2F29%2F11%2F44%2F20181029_THAICAVEARGENTINA_AAP.jpg)
The boys had been invited by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to attend the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires.
With CNN
With CNN