A German tourist's World Cup road trip has turned into one of the feel-good viral stories of the tournament, to the point that a private jet CEO stepped in to make sure he didn't miss a match. Known online only as Freddy (FreddyLA7), with his face always hidden and a Cristiano Ronaldo profile picture, he and two friends flew over from Germany for a six-week journey across the US and Canada following their national team, posting wide-eyed reactions to Waffle House, Buc-ee's, Walmart, and alligators that have racked up millions of views.
When a canceled flight left Freddy stranded in Oklahoma City and at risk of missing Germany's group-stage game against Ivory Coast in Toronto, AirShare CEO John Owen slid into his replies: "Stay there. We'll take you direct to Toronto on the jet in the morning."
The jet is just the latest gift in a trip that has snowballed into a national hospitality contest. NFL great J.J. Watt put the crew up in a Houston hotel, Hilton offered complimentary stays, Ford reached out, and governors including Alabama's Kay Ivey and Florida's Ron DeSantis publicly welcomed him. Germany, meanwhile, opened with a 7-1 rout of Curaçao.
Sources: Yahoo Sports, On3, Newsweek.
A German tourist's World Cup road trip has turned into one of the feel-good viral stories of the tournament, to the point that a private jet CEO stepped in to make sure he didn't miss a match. Known online only as Freddy (FreddyLA7), with his face always hidden and a Cristiano Ronaldo profile picture, he and two friends flew over from Germany for a six-week journey across the US and Canada following their national team, posting wide-eyed reactions to Waffle House, Buc-ee's, Walmart, and alligators that have racked up millions of views.
When a canceled flight left Freddy stranded in Oklahoma City and at risk of missing Germany's group-stage game against Ivory Coast in Toronto, AirShare CEO John Owen slid into his replies: "Stay there. We'll take you direct to Toronto on the jet in the morning."
The jet is just the latest gift in a trip that has snowballed into a national hospitality contest. NFL great J.J. Watt put the crew up in a Houston hotel, Hilton offered complimentary stays, Ford reached out, and governors including Alabama's Kay Ivey and Florida's Ron DeSantis publicly welcomed him. Germany, meanwhile, opened with a 7-1 rout of Curaçao.
Sources: Yahoo Sports, On3, Newsweek.
