sportbible logo

To make sure you never miss out on your favourite NEW stories, we're happy to send you some reminders

Click 'OK' then 'Allow' to enable notifications

Valencia Put A Statue Of Late Season Ticket Holder In His Seat At The Mestalla

Valencia Put A Statue Of Late Season Ticket Holder In His Seat At The Mestalla

The fan went blind in his 50's but still kept coming to games...

Josh Lawless

Josh Lawless

Football without fans would be absolutely nothing and Valencia showed just how much they valued the support of one loyal season ticket holder after he passed away two years ago.

The man was a long-time follower of Los Che, even turning up at the Mestalla when he went blind into his 50's because while his sight disappeared, his love for Valencia did not.

When he died, Valencia decided it was only fitting that they erected a statue and placed it in the exact seat he sat in for years.

A quite incredible way to remember him and show that he will always be cheering on his team in spirit.

There are other ways in which blind football fans can still have a wonderful experience at the football game, as proven by one Liverpool supporter.

Ian Wood, 41, has watched the Reds play football at Anfield for two decades, but he has suffered from visual impairment since the age of five and only has access to five per cent of his vision.

However, his whole match experience changed dramatically when Wood received a £600 piece of tech from Remap, a charity that helps to design products that support disabled people.

"This has changed my life. I've been a fan since I was a boy and remember going to a match in the 1990s and they didn't even have audio-commentary, so this is amazing," he told the Daily Mirror.

"After years of listening from the sidelines, I can actually shout to the ref 'that was never a penalty' if I don't like what I see.

"I can't read the names on players' shirts, but I can tell who has the ball. I get so much more from the game than I did before."

Featured Image Credit:

Topics: valencia, Football News, Football, Spain, Spanish football, La Liga