Fans of a Spanish football club have greeted a random man arriving at the city’s airport as if he was an incoming player, in protest at its lack of activity in the transfer market.
Malaga supporters have filmed themselves surrounding a man just arrived at the popular tourist resort on the southern coast of Spain as if he was their next big-money acquisition.
Several dozen wildly celebrating fans, most wearing replica shirts and some tooting horns, surround the bemused visitor, chanting and waving scarves.
At one point they put a scarf round the man’s neck.
All the while, one of their number, wearing black clothes, sunglasses and a no-nonsense expression, acts as security, pushing away fans who get too close to the apparent star.
To round off the ‘greeting’ in the traditional manner, they place a football shirt with the number 69 drawn on it up against his chest, and hand him a marker pen to sign it.
The confused arrival looks to whoever is filming to check if it’s really his autograph they want, before turning back to sign the shirt.
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Malaga, who will play in the third tier of Spanish football this season after being relegated last year, have actually signed a total of ten players in the current window but all of them have been free transfers, Sport Bible said.
The site said the video, which has gone viral, was well-received by some who saw it, with reactions including “this is wonderful comedy” and “peak football culture”.
A third added: “THEY’RE DESPERATE. Their owners must be the worst,” while a fourth called it “the funniest thing I’ve seen this year”.