Gilberto Martinez and his two friends visited the 2018 World Cup wearing T-shirts with the inscriptions on their backs: “Vero, Diego, Mia are always with me.”
At that moment few of those around could understand, what these are very important words that mean the loss of loved ones.
Initially Gilberto planned to go to the World Cup with his family: his wife, son and daughter. A few months before the championship the Gilberto’s family died in a car accident, and the man himself planned to return the tickets. The goalkeeper of the Mexican national team learned about the tragic history of this family and found the right words to support Gilberto and help him to decide to come to Russia and fulfill the dream of his family.
Mexican Gilberto and Argentine Veronica met in the early 2000s in Florida, after 4 years they got married. In 2010 the pair had their first-born son Diego. Two years later their daughter Mia was born.
The whole family was in love with soccer: Veronica was cheering for Argentina, Hilberto for Mexico, and Diego liked very much Neymar – player of the Brazilian national team. When they found out that all those countries will participate in the 2018 World Cup, they immediately purchased tickets for the matches. Mia dreamed to see the Bolshoi Theater and the Russian ballet with her own eyes. The whole family was counting days before the trip.
On April 28, 2018 a terrible accident happend. The car of Veronica, where the children were, was staying at the traffic light when a pickup crashed into it at a speed of 150 km/h. Veronica, Diego and Mia passed away.
This terrible car accident was covered in many local media. Gilberto was killed by grief and decided not to fly to Russia. One day his phone rang and the man calling introduced himself as the Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa. The soccer player was able to pick the right words and asked Gilberto go to the World Cup. Guillermo Ochoa said: “Your Diego will be an angel who will give me wings.”
Gilberto told about the call of the soccer player to his friends. They also insisted that Gilberto needed go to the World Cup and willingly agreed to join him. To every match Gilberto was coming in the T-shirt with the inscription “Vero, Diego, Mia are always with me” and with four fan IDs.
The first game that Gilberto and his friends visited was between Mexico and Germany. After the victory of Mexicans Gilberto received an SMS from Ochoa with the words: “It was for your family.”
When the Brazilian football player Neymar, whose fan Diego was, learned about the tragedy in the family of Gilberto, he recorded a video message saying: “Thank you for your kind words. I can not imagine, how you felt the last few months, how hard it was for you. I know that you are here for the family, for the sake of fulfilling their dreams. I am grateful to you for everything you said, and I hope you will love Brazilian soccer. I know what it’s like to be a father, and I continue to play for my son. I’m happy on the field.”
During the warm-up before the game with South Korea Mexican players invited Gilberto to the field giving him unforgettable emotions.
Gilberto and his friends went to see the Bolshoi Theater, which Mia dreamed of seeing so much. And also they drove to St. Petersburg by train which the girl also wanted to visit.
Traveling around Russia, Gilberto was always thinking of his family and was imagining them to be with him. They will always be alive in his memories, and their souls are in Heaven.
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