Opinion | Neymar and Paris Saint-Germain make a young fan’s dream come true after he follows the Brazilian around the world to meet him
The striker was honoured to meet the Australian youngster who travelled to France to see his idol play against Lyon
October 1, 2017 was a significant day in Catalan history when an unofficial independence referendum was held in the region. FC Barcelona were due to play Las Palmas that afternoon but as images of police aggression dominated global headlines, rumours circulated about whether the game would go ahead. Finally, it was announced that it would be played behind closed doors.
Outside Camp Nou as the crowds streamed away, Melbourne-born mother Lisa Schnepf waved her match tickets in the air, and shouted in English: “What is happening?” to anyone who would listen, but nobody answered.
This writer stopped and explained that the game was to be played behind closed doors.
Lisa panicked as she told me: “We’ve come from Melbourne, Australia.” Her son, Rudy, seven, wore a Barca shirt with ‘Neymar’ on the back.
I tried to help the family, explaining their predicament to a stadium steward, but he could only sympathise.
I took a picture of the family and tweeted it. Because of its relevance, it quickly went viral.
