Fan walks 1,500 miles to cup final … without a ticket،
How far would you travel to see your team play in a cup final? Boca Juniors fan Leandro Fortunato walked 2,451 kilometers from his native Argentina to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil ahead of Saturday’s match against Fluminense in the final of the Copa Libertadores, South America’s version of UEFA Champions League.
Fortunato walked 24 days from Santa Fe to Rio, where the match will be played at the city’s iconic Maracanã stadium. Along the way, he shared his itinerary and trip details on Instagram.
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“I went in search of clarification of the body, the head, the soul and the heart,” Fortunato told ESPN Argentina’s “Generacion F.” “I found out that Boca had reached the Libertadores final and I started walking. I was at my uncle’s house in Santo Tomé, Santa Fe, and I told him ‘I’m going to Rio’. And I begin [to walk.] I went to Paraná and left there. »
Fortunato had to hitch a ride across to Uruguay because the border bridge between Paso de los Libres and Uruguayana was “too damaged” to walk on. He arrived in Rio on Monday, on what would have been Argentine legend Diego Maradona’s 63rd birthday. Fortunato said: “It was like a sign. I felt like he was saying ‘come on boy, you’ll make it today.’
“When I arrived, I couldn’t believe it. I endured the heat, the rain, leg pain. The pain in my knee is incredible… but I’m excited. The first thing I saw , it was a contingent from Boca who shouted at me: ‘You’re here!’ It was the first photo I posted on Instagram. And they told me ‘you’re a source of pride for everyone, you’re going to make history.'”
Boca fans donated money so Fortunato could complete his journey. “With the help of all the people in Boca, they gave me money to be able to rent a room and sleep,” he said.
Fortunato’s efforts were rewarded by Argentine streamer Martin “Coscu” Perez and “Generacion F” who gave him a ticket to the final at the Maracana stadium.
“This is the best news of the day,” Fortunato said. “I’m very happy. I’m dreaming, I can’t believe everything I’ve done. Let the people of Boca greet me… It’s a privilege to be here.”
Fortunato posted a photo on a beach in Rio wearing a Boca jersey with open arms on his Instagram story and wrote: “How can I not feel this?”
Buenos Aires-based Boca, who are hoping to win their seventh title on Saturday, have not won the Copa Libertadores since 2007. They have lost two finals in the intervening years, including being beaten by bitter rivals River Plate in 2018, the whose return match was played at Real Madrid’s Bernabeu stadium.
