CNN: Nine-year-old Sean Goldman was reunited Thursday with his father in Brazil, and the two were flying home to the United States for their first Christmas together in five years, the U.S. Consulate in Rio de Janeiro said.

The Christmas Eve reunion of son and father comes after a five-year custody battle that involved U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and numerous Brazilian courtrooms.

"Sean Goldman is finally with his father David," a consulate statement said. "The U.S. Consulate is doing its utmost to assure that the reunion will be as smooth as possible."

The boy arrived, wearing a yellow and green Brazil soccer jersey, and clutching his stepfather as he walked past a throng of reporters.

Brazilian Supreme Court Chief Justice Gilmar Mendes ruled Tuesday in favor of David Goldman, who had been battling the family of the boy's deceased mother for custody. The ruling paved the way for the reunion.

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