‘I was with the prawn-sandwich brigade when Rashford scored!’
The first World Cup in the Middle East was a tricky one to get to for many UK-based Reds. Especially in a cost-of-living crisis, with Christmas just around the corner.
But some United fans did make it to Qatar.
Phil Craven, a season-ticket holder who lives in Timperley, was working at the event for a ticketing company responsible for hospitality at matches.
And while professionalism was the name of the game, the Leeds-born Red still managed to get the flavour of the tournament – even if he narrowly missed arguably the best United-related moment!
“I always call people for eating at half-time and leaving their seats empty [when play restarts],” he chuckles. “But I was the biggest culprit!
“I heard a big cheer, rushed outside, and said: ‘What’s happened?’ Obviously, Rashford has stuck the free-kick in against Wales while I was in with the prawn-sandwich lot! It was an absolute worldie, too. A nightmare!”
Thankfully, there were other great experiences to soften the blow.
“Out there, it was brilliant,” he reveals. “I managed to get a few tickets for some mates who came out for an England game. Work-wise, the great thing was it was all within close distance. You could choose a match and rock up, after finishing work, to see it. I saw three England matches, Argentina, Brazil...
“There were so many fans and locals knocking about, and the minute they found out I was from Manchester, they’d say: ‘Red?’ Genuinely! At a couple of matches, I got talking to locals and families of the sheikhs. They could talk all night long about United – Rashford and all the rest of it. They were mad on United; they obviously watch a lot of our games.”
And while Phil missed Rashford’s standout goal, he was buzzing to see so many Reds doing well.
“As soon as Martinez came on, the Argentinians were going crazy for him. The same with the Brazilians – they loved Casemiro particularly. In the mornings they’d come to collect their tickets, and they’d all want to talk about United. They’d say how much they wanted to come to Old Trafford.
“The football was amazing, and the fans,” he admits. “And I think the tournament will only benefit our players. Martinez and Varane were at the top of their game beforehand, but being in a World Cup final... that’s great for United. Maguire had a good tournament, too, as did most of them.
“We’ll have plenty of competition for places now things are up and running again.”
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