Bolton Wanderers fans travelling 7,000 miles for Papa Johns Trophy final
Three Bolton Wanderers fans are travelling 7000 miles from Argentina, in order to watch their team play in the Papa Johns Final this weekend.
Football fans will often go to great lengths to show off their love for a football team, afterall, one Brazilian fan had his club's shirt tattooed over his torso.
Most of us just buy a replica shirt, whether through the club's shop or more nefarious channels, but actually getting the kit tattooed to you will save money in the long run.
However, not even Mauricio dos Anjos has travelled 7000 miles to see a cup final between two third tier teams, at least as far as I know.
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We already know the lengths Argentina football fans will go, after hordes of them mobbed Lionel Messi just as he was going to dinner last week.
But none could have known of three fans love of League One promotion chasers Bolton Wanderers, and their epic journey to see Ian Evatt's team.
Matias Foti, Nicolas Alvarez and Federico Di Rocco will all be present at Wembley this weekend, to see the EFL Trophy final against Plymouth Argyle, the first time they'll have see the team live.
"We haven’t got the words to explain how we feel. This is a big dream for us, maybe one of the best travel experiences of our lives," Matias told SWNS.
"We’ve never gone out of our country so this is the first time outside and it’s the UK. Only our love for Bolton Wanderers can make us do it."
Matias, a journalist, started following the team after playing on them with FIFA, and has now set up a Spanish speaking supporters group for the club.
"I was playing the FIFA video game with Nico," the 25-year-old explained, "We chose a randomly selected team – and that team was Bolton.
"We only knew that Bolton was in the Premier League, but nothing more than that. So we started to search for more information and we fell in love with the club
"We started to follow them at possibly the worst moment in the history of the club. But we still kept supporting them because our love is bigger than everything."
After 11 seasons in the Premier League, in which they twice played in the Europa League, Bolton dropped out of the top tier in 2012.
They eventually dropped down to League Two but got back up a division in 2021 and are now trying to make their way into the Championship again.
After watching the club in their first cup final since the League Cup final of 2004, the three fans from South America will watch their team play Exeter City on Good Friday and Cambridge United at home on Easter Monday.
Let's hope they see at least one win!
Topics: Argentina, Bolton Wanderers, League One
Ryan Sidle