Soccer fan sells his home in England to pay for World Cup trip to Dallas
DALLAS - The English national football team has a fan who is so loyal that he’s selling his home to pay for his trip to Dallas to watch the team play in the World Cup this summer.
"That World Cup Guy"
Andy Milne has become known on social media as "That World Cup Guy."
If you are looking for him in a crowd, you can easily find him with "Sophie the Trophy," a replica World Cup trophy that never misses a match.
The English super fan grew up supporting the Three Lions. At the age of 19, he had his first chance to see the team play in Spain during the 1982 World Cup match against France.
All it took was one game. Milne was hooked.
Since then, he’s attended eight men’s World Cups and one women’s World Cup. He even has a book coming out that he calls a 40-year love letter to the World Cup and the adventures it’s brought him.
In June, he’ll travel to Dallas for his tenth World Cup.
"English fans really like to throw themselves into, you know, whatever city, whatever country we’re in. So, we’re really looking forward to coming to Dallas. We’ve heard a lot about the food. Looking forward to that. Looking forward to my brisket and my TexMex and my frozen margaritas," he said.
Selling His Home
While Milne’s excitement, pride, and devotion to watching English play in the World Cup haven’t changed, the prices have. In fact, they’ve skyrocketed since he bought his first World Cup ticket for about $5.
This year, he made the decision to sell his second home in England to help pay for the tickets and his trip to Dallas.
"It will sell one day, and it’ll either pay for the trip before I come or after I return home, hopefully with the World Cup for England," he said.
England vs Croatia
The stage is set in June for England to take on Croatia at AT&T Stadium, which will be called Dallas Stadium during the tournament.
For the Three Lions, every World Cup begins with the same home, the same pressure, and the same chorus: football is coming home.
"Oh, England are famous for their songs and chants," Milne said.
The English are also famous for their passion despite the result.
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"We go to every tournament with massive optimism, but tinged with reality," Milne added.
He’s ready for the moment that "God Save the King" echoes throughout the stadium.
"When the national anthem strikes up, and you’re singing your own national anthem, and you know that you’re two minutes away from kickoff, it’s just incredibly exciting," he said.
The Source: FOX 4's Amelia Jones gathered information for this story by interviewing Andy Milne.