Mexican fan with 16 match tickets will never forget Qatar World Cup

With a job at Carl's Jr, the American fast food restaurant chain, in Puerto Vallarta, a popular Mexican resort town, it’s not surprising that Jesus speaks English very well.

When I bumped into him at Souq Waqif in the middle of the night, Jesus was walking alone amid a sea of people, proudly wearing the trademark Mexican hat and his national flag.

It’s been a while since the Mexican team had been knocked out of the World Cup, with Poland beating them to the second round on the back of their better disciplinary record.

But Jesus is still here in Qatar, soaking up every bit of the World Cup carnival with a smile that could lighten up even the darkest corners of the world.

Jesus came to Qatar not just to support his national team, but also to meet fans from all over the world.

“I arrived here on November 20 at 6 am. I have seen 16 matches so far,” he said.

“I wanted to watch a lot of countries here at the World Cup because the stadiums are very close to each other.

“This was the perfect opportunity to meet the fans from France, the Netherlands, Brazil, Argentina and of course, my Mexico, Portugal and South Korea.

“So this World Cup is very different. It has given us the opportunity to watch so many matches and meet so many fans from so many different countries.”

Jesus then revealed why he is not looking forward to the next World Cup, which will be shared by Mexico, USA and Canada in 2026, with the same enthusiasm.

“You know the next World Cup, I will not have the same opportunity to see so many matches and meet so many fans because the World Cup will be shared by the US, Canada and my Mexico,” he said.

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“So I came here alone and I am so happy that I made it. It was amazing to go to the Mexico matches, the Argentina matches. The atmosphere was truly amazing.”