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Exclusive: How this Brazil football fan became a social media star in Saudi Arabia

Samuel reveals how he built a beautiful connection with Saudi football fans

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Samuel and his partner, Ana, pose with a Saudi fan during the World Cup in Qatar. — Photo by Rituraj Borkakoty
by

Rituraj Borkakoty

Published: Tue 21 Mar 2023, 12:19 AM

Last updated: Tue 21 Mar 2023, 6:11 AM

When Samuel and his partner, Ana, travelled to Qatar for the World Cup last year from the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina, they had no idea their life as football fans was going to change forever.

The Brazilian couple's dream of seeing their national team win the World Cup in Qatar ended in heartbreak as the five-time champion was knocked out of the quarterfinal stage by Croatia.

But Samuel and Ana returned home with lots of beautiful memories and new friends from Saudi Arabia.

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The energy and the passion of the Saudi fans — who were on cloud nine after their team stunned eventual champion Argentina in the opening game — made such a big impression on Samuel and Ana that they travelled to the Education City Stadium for Saudi's second game against Poland without match tickets.

It was during a metro ride to the Education City Stadium on November 26 that this reporter had bumped into this Brazilian couple who were singing with a group of Saudi fans.

Now four months later, Samuel has become a social media celebrity in Saudi Arabia after his TikTok videos went viral in the Gulf country.

But Samuel admits that his love affair with Saudi football started with his World Cup sojourn in Qatar.

"Going to a World Cup was a dream for me. Since I was a child in Brazil, I have always loved soccer, and it was the first time I got to a World Cup. It was a fantastic experience. When I arrived in Qatar, I thought I was going to sing with all Brazilian fans. But it turned out to be a different experience for me because we connected with the fans from Saudi Arabia. We connected instantly because they beat Argentina, our greatest rival. It was something that I will never forget," Samuel told the Khaleej Times during a Zoom video chat.

Samuel then revealed how his TikTok videos went viral in Saudi Arabia.

"I have been a lifelong supporter of Brazilian club Flamengo. But as luck would have it, Flamengo played Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal in the Fifa Club World Cup last month," Samuel said.

Samuel is seen in the colours of Saudi club Al Hilal at his office in Brazil.

"When Al Hilal beat Flamengo in that semifinal, I was sad, but at the same time I was also happy for my Saudi friends. So I made Instagram videos to support my friends," he said.

"In fact. I made a lot of friends on Instagram after the World Cup. They are all from Saudi Arabia and a lot of them support Al Hilal. Before the Flamengo-Al Hilal match, they also sent me best wishes.

"When Flemengo was losing 3-1, I made a video for these friends. I posted it on Instagram, and it received a lot of likes. I got so many messages. They liked it so much that it went viral in Saudi Arabia."

Thanks to those videos and support from his friends in Saudi Arabia, Samuel has now got over 20,000 followers on TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@brazilian.saudi?_t=8aoIp1GmLEj&_r=1).

A software engineer who develops apps for iPhone in Brazil, Samuel has been receiving a deluge of messages from Saudi fans with most of them making the same demand.

"Many Saudi fans want me to visit their country and some of them are even ready to send me tickets," he said.

"Of course, I would love to visit Saudi Arabia one day. It would be amazing to meet those fans.

"I have built a beautiful connection with Saudi football fans. Now in every World Cup, I have two favourite teams, Brazil and Saudi Arabia!"

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Rituraj Borkakoty

Published: Tue 21 Mar 2023, 12:19 AM

Last updated: Tue 21 Mar 2023, 6:11 AM

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