Juninho, who returned to the northeast as part of his tour, posed for pictures with a sea of gleeful new parents and staff as he signed a few Boro jerseys on the ward.
The 2002 World Cup winner wanted to visit James Cook as his son and daughter were born in the hospital’s maternity unit while he was playing for Middlesbrough FC.
Also dubbed as the “little fella” by local admirers, Juninho said: “I brought my son to James Cook to show him around where he was born.
My little girl was also born here, so I have great memories of this place and that’s why I wanted to visit this place.”
Parents on the ward rushed to catch a glimpse of the little fella as the Brazilian spent the entire time signing autographs and taking pictures with their newborn babies.
Long-time Boro fan Daniel Chapman, who was over the moon with the arrival of his young child Ovie, was ecstatic to learn that his childhood hero was going to make a special visit to the ward.
He said:
It was nice from the little fella to meet our little fella. It was also great to see a local hero coming back and hopefully, encourages more heroes to visit the amazing heroes who work tirelessly on this ward.”
Juninho was accompanied by his son Lucas Giroldo, who was born 21 years ago in the maternity ward. Thrilled with the welcome his father received, he added: “It’s great to come back here where I was born while also seeing the support and gratitude the fans have for my dad.”
Another one of his die-hard fans who happily asked Juninho for a picture with his newborn daughter was Ben Lincoln Taylor.
Talking about what a great encounter it was to meet his idol, Ben added: “What an amazing experience to welcome a daughter and to meet a Boro legend.
“I was not expecting to meet the greatest Middlesbrough player today, but just want to say thank you to him for the memories.”
Head of midwifery Lynne Staite said: “It was a pleasure to have a local legend and ‘Boro’ hero visit maternity and for his son to see where he was born. All the staff and families were excited to meet Juninho. Time was spent chatting, signing autographs and many photos were taken which will take pride of place in many homes.”