Football fans trek 7,000 miles from Argentina to see their team play at Wembley
- last year
A group of diehard football fans will this week trek 7,000 miles to see their team play at Wembley - from Argentina.
Matías Foti, 25, 'fell in love' with League One side Bolton Wanderers after playing as them on a videogame eight years ago and has followed their fortunes ever since.
And when the club takes on Plymouth in the Papa Johns Trophy final on Sunday, Matías will see his 'dream' of watching his beloved side in the flesh come true.
He will jet over from his home city of Buenos Aires to London with pals Nicolas Álvarez, 25 and Federico Di Rocco, 31, who also love the Lancashire side.
It will be the first time any of them have left Argentina.
Matías said: “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.
“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.
“We have been dreaming about this moment for eight years, and it’s even more for Federico because he is a little older than Nico and I.”
Sports reporters Matías and Nicolas “randomly” came across the British side eight years ago when they chose to play as them on the FIFA video game.
But they now see themselves as die-hard fans after setting up a Spanish-speaking supporters club with members from ten different South American countries.
The pair will watch three live Bolton games along with computer programmer Federico.
Matías said it hadn’t been easy following the side, which has slumped to League One since he first clasped eyes on them, but insisted his “love” for them was unwavering.
He said: “Nico and me 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, including demotion, going through administration and bad owners.”
Matías said his love affair with Bolton Wanderers came about one day when he decided to play as them on his computer.
The fascinated sports fans later dug into the facts and figures about the British side, and they started to follow their progress as they navigated a tricky period in the club’s history.
And as their admiration grew for the team, they formed a supporters club called ‘Bolton Latinoamerica’, which now has 30 members from across the continent.
The trio had planned to jet off to the UK in March but later post postponed their trip due to the international batch of fixtures.
However, this stroke of fortune meant they could time their trip to coincide with Bolton’s EFL final against Plymouth Argyle on April 2 at Wembley stadium.
The three fans will also be attending Bolton's away fixtures against Exeter City on Good Friday and Cambridge United at home on Easter Monday.
They are also planning to tour the University of Bolton Stadium and go to a party at The Millstone pub, in the town’s centre, on Easter Sunday to meet fellow fans.
Matías Foti, 25, 'fell in love' with League One side Bolton Wanderers after playing as them on a videogame eight years ago and has followed their fortunes ever since.
And when the club takes on Plymouth in the Papa Johns Trophy final on Sunday, Matías will see his 'dream' of watching his beloved side in the flesh come true.
He will jet over from his home city of Buenos Aires to London with pals Nicolas Álvarez, 25 and Federico Di Rocco, 31, who also love the Lancashire side.
It will be the first time any of them have left Argentina.
Matías said: “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.
“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.
“We have been dreaming about this moment for eight years, and it’s even more for Federico because he is a little older than Nico and I.”
Sports reporters Matías and Nicolas “randomly” came across the British side eight years ago when they chose to play as them on the FIFA video game.
But they now see themselves as die-hard fans after setting up a Spanish-speaking supporters club with members from ten different South American countries.
The pair will watch three live Bolton games along with computer programmer Federico.
Matías said it hadn’t been easy following the side, which has slumped to League One since he first clasped eyes on them, but insisted his “love” for them was unwavering.
He said: “Nico and me 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, including demotion, going through administration and bad owners.”
Matías said his love affair with Bolton Wanderers came about one day when he decided to play as them on his computer.
The fascinated sports fans later dug into the facts and figures about the British side, and they started to follow their progress as they navigated a tricky period in the club’s history.
And as their admiration grew for the team, they formed a supporters club called ‘Bolton Latinoamerica’, which now has 30 members from across the continent.
The trio had planned to jet off to the UK in March but later post postponed their trip due to the international batch of fixtures.
However, this stroke of fortune meant they could time their trip to coincide with Bolton’s EFL final against Plymouth Argyle on April 2 at Wembley stadium.
The three fans will also be attending Bolton's away fixtures against Exeter City on Good Friday and Cambridge United at home on Easter Monday.
They are also planning to tour the University of Bolton Stadium and go to a party at The Millstone pub, in the town’s centre, on Easter Sunday to meet fellow fans.