An Uzbek boy who was unable to attend the Kairat–Real Madrid match in Almaty after buying fake tickets has been gifted a football signed by Real Madrid and Chelsea icon Claude Makélélé, courtesy of local businessmen, Kursiv Kazakhstan reports.
The story of young Armin and his father, who travelled from Uzbekistan to see the historic match, moved many across Central Asia. The pair had purchased tickets for $1,175 on Viagogo.com, only to discover at the stadium that they were counterfeit. A video showing Armin in tears quickly went viral, drawing widespread sympathy.
Margulan Tursunov, founder of the Kazakh media outlet ZTB, later said he managed to locate the family, though they declined financial help.
«We are not looking for charity. We just wanted to be part of the celebration,» they said.
Viagogo.com has since refunded the amount. Now, Armin dreams of visiting Spain to see his beloved Real Madrid in action.
Adding to his joy, generous Uzbek entrepreneurs presented the boy with a football carrying the autograph of Claude Makélélé — a small but meaningful gesture for a devoted young fan.
Kursiv Uzbekistan also reported on the arrival of Real Madrid in Kazakhstan before the match with kairat, which ended with a dominant 5:0 of the former.
