German fan's cancelled flight turned into viral moment with JJ Watt's help
After missing his connection to Toronto, a viral German World Cup fan got an assist from the former NFL star to catch Germany's match against Ivory Coast.
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A German soccer fan named Freddy captured the internet's attention this week documenting his first experiences with American culture — trying ranch dressing, Texas barbecue, visiting Walmart. But getting to Toronto proved his toughest test.
After Germany's opening match in Houston on June 19, Freddy posted that his flight to Buffalo had been cancelled due to weather. His rebooked flight would arrive too late for Germany's match against Ivory Coast in Toronto on Saturday, June 20. His post went viral, drawing 15 million views, 80,000 likes, and nearly 5,000 replies on X.
The post sparked help from multiple airlines, including Air Canada, which offered to get him to Toronto. In the end, Freddy accepted an offer from former NFL star JJ Watt, who arranged for him to fly from Dallas to Buffalo late Friday night on American Airlines. "American Airlines was incredibly helpful and made it possible for us to get on this flight. A special thank you to @JJWatt for organizing it while we were in the air to Dallas," Freddy posted.
Freddy keeps his identity secret, hiding behind a graphic of Cristiano Ronaldo's face and sharing no personal details despite his newfound fame. Americans have embraced him so thoroughly that a U.S. tourism official reportedly offered him a tour of the White House.
He made it to Toronto Stadium on Saturday afternoon with time to spare. The match came down to the wire: the Ivory Coast opened the scoring, but Germany bounced back with a 94th-minute winner from striker Deniz Undav, securing a 2-1 Group E victory. Germany will now head to New York for their final group-stage match against Ecuador.