It’s fair to say every fan of Welsh football is having the time of their lives during this amazing Euro 2016 campaign. However, one man in particular has a big smile on his face.
Step forward insurance broker Robert Butcher, from Llanelli in Carmarthenshire. Whereas other Welsh fans are scrambling for tickets and hastily rearranging their travel plans in wake of the dragons’ unexpected run to the semi-final, Butcher is able to sit back and relax because he has been living in Lyon – the venue for the showdown with Portugal tomorrow – for the last 12 years.
When Chris Coleman’s team pit themselves against Ronaldo and company on Wednesday evening, Butcher will only have to make a six-mile trip from his apartment to the stadium.
According to a report at
Wales Online, the insurance broker has been living in the French city for 12 years with his Vietnamese wife Ha. As such, he’s been able to use the Welsh run as a chance to meet with friends – including those from Northern Ireland who Wales played in the last 16.
Now he believes that Wales’s performances and fan behaviour has won them lots of friends in France with many people giving him the “thumbs up” as he walks down the street in his replica Wales shirt.
Butcher is hopeful that the dream is far from over too – telling the publication that a final could well be in their sights.
“I went to see the Portugal v Poland game and Portugal are nothing special,” he said.
“I don’t want to get too excited because I wasn’t excited before the Belgium game and they (Wales) just blew us away with what they did.
“And I think if they can keep that spirit there and they can just give it one more shot I think they’ll get to the final – I really do.”
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