Dedicated fan makes staggering 1,000-mile round trip to watch team and gets banner dedicated to him for amazing reason
AN Italian football fan has been honoured by his fellow supporters after making a staggering 1,000 mile round trip.
FC Suditrol travelled from the north of the country to the south to take on Benevento in a Serie B clash – a trip of 521 miles one way.
And they were joined by just one travelling fan, a man called Damian Gruber.
He had to take two days off work, hired two cars and took a flight to make the match on Wednesday.
But it was all worth it as Suditrol won 2-0.
After the game Damian was rewarded for his dedication by the players, with centre-back Andrea Masiello gifting the superfan his shirt.
The supporter also received shorts while fellow fans have previously paid tribute to anyone willing to travel so far to support the team.
A previously unveiled banner read: “Honour to those who grind kilometres.”
Damian was interviewed after his mammoth journey and he revealed how he was able to travel so far.
He said: “I took two days off to make this trip. I hired a car to go from Bolzano to Bergamo, then the plane from Bergamo to Naples, and another car from Naples to Benevento.
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“I did all the provinces in which Südtirol played, except Reggio Calabria, because I didn’t have enough money.
“Fortunately, I work for German craftsmen, and they help me a lot in my travels. I have a great boss.”