A man from Barcelona had a stag weekend to remember when he visited the home of National League North side Alfreton Town, who even made him mascot for the day.
Cristóbal Novo Gonzalvo was introduced to the sixth-tier side more than a decade ago, when he decided to take the reigns at the Derbyshire-based club on popular game Football Manager.
Since then, the 34-year-old has forged a tight-knit bond with the club and its fan base, even visiting North Street on numerous occasions, including a visit with his friends before the COVID pandemic hit in 2020.
Gonzalvo, who lives locally to the Camp Nou stadium, where the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Gavi and Raphinha play on a regular basis, recently proposed to his future wife, which means one thing; stag do.
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To celebrate ahead of the big day, Cristobal's mates decided to get in touch with the guys at Alfreton to organise his stag do at their home clash against promotion-chasing Darlington.
They soon made the three-hour flight from Barcelona to The Impact Arena and to his delight, the National League North side made him mascot for the day.
After the full-time whistle – a game that finished 2-2 – Cristobal said it was an "incredible" day of action, even if the home side failed to pick up all three points.
Speaking to the BBC, the die-hard Alfreton supporter said: "The last time, three years ago, just before Covid, I went with some Spanish friends and they came again with me last week.
"They were impressed with the kindness of the people. They know that I like Alfreton and we have friends there and they decided to go for my stag there."
He added: "My future wife knows about me and my crazy problem with football and also Alfreton. My mother thinks that I'm crazy."
A spokesman for Alfreton Town said: "We were honoured to welcome Cristóbal Novo Gonzalvo to the Impact again. He first started following Ofton over 12 years ago when he picked us as his team on Football Manager.
"He last visited us over three years ago before the pandemic but returned with his friends from Spain for his stag do when we hosted Darlington, and we even allowed him to be mascot for the day.
"We want to wish Cristóbal and his fiancé all the best in their marriage and look forward to welcoming them both to the Impact Arena again soon."
Earlier this month, a man from Wiltshire made the 1,098 mile journey to Tuscany to watch Italian minnows San Donato Tavarnelle after he discovered the club on FM.
Jedd Cooley, 28, has taken one of Italy's smallest professional clubs from Serie C – Italy's third division – to the heights of Champions League football in the virtual world.
He first got in touch with San Donato Tavarnelle on Instagram in November to ask whether it was possible to buy a replica shirt.
And both parties kept in touch before Jedd decided to visit the rural area of Tavarnelle Val di Pesa with his pregnant wife, Lucy, to attend their Serie C clash against Siena.
Topics: Football Manager, Non-League
Jack Kenmare