You think you’re a super fan? Ask yourself two questions:
- Would you travel great distances to a big event … without a ticket?
- And what would you be willing to do once you got there to get one?
One of the incredible aspects of the World Cup is how many people travel to the event
just to be near it. Of course, there’s nothing like getting inside. But how close can you
get without a ticket?
Anja Salinas, originally from Bolivia but now living in Washington, D.C., took a $40 bus
and a five-hour ride to New Jersey for the final — without a ticket, rooting for Argentina
as a fellow South American nation.
She carried a handmade sign through the parking lot: “Reasons to give this girl a free
World Cup ticket.”
She attracted a lot of interest. Or, at least, her sign did.
Here are just some of the reasons she rattled off:
- I’ll send you a handwritten letter every Christmas.
- I’m “really cool” — so maybe we could become friends, or pen pals.
- I came all the way because I had to try, “even if I look foolish.”
- I know this is a lot to ask, but I believe dreams come true.
While Anja came alone, Angelo Barbaro arrived with a dozen friends from across the
globe. He’s originally from Tucumán, Argentina, but now lives in — of all places —
Mallorca, Spain.
It was a chance to reunite with 11 friends from the old country. And it came courtesy of
what appears to be the coolest wife on two continents: She surprised him with plane
tickets to the final.
It was up to him and his buddies to get inside.
Angelo said he was prepared to pay up to $8,000 for a ticket — and was betting the
price would drop as kickoff got closer.
He didn’t have a sign, but he did have a friend who asked, “Do you have any extra
tickets?” to everyone who walked by them in the American Dream mall.
We’re not sure how the group of 12 fared. But we know seats never dropped … to
nothing.
Anja never got in. By halftime, she said, she knew her chances were about as good as
Argentina’s. She headed from the parking lot outside MetLife Stadium to American
Dream.
“They had screens everywhere,” she said. “It was packed.”
And even though she didn’t get inside the gates, she didn’t regret trying.
“I’m so grateful I came; I don’t regret it at all,” she said. “Feeling the love everyone had
for me and my sign was my favorite part.
“It’s so great to see everyone’s humanity — even the ones who didn’t believe in me.”
