An England football fan who disappeared while traveling to the United States for the World Cup has been found safe in Spain after losing his phone and travel documents.
Michael Hewitt, 65, last spoke with his family in Barcelona on June 21, one day after the lifelong Leeds United supporter left the UK, according to Leeds Live.
Hewitt had stopped in Barcelona for a short layover before he was due to fly to Boston, where England played Ghana to a 0-0 draw last Wednesday. However, after losing his phone—which contained all of his travel tickets—he became stranded in the Spanish city, his brother Gary told The U.S. Sun.
“He lost his phone soon after arriving in Barcelona and didn’t know any of the phone numbers stored on it,” Gary said.
“He didn’t think to go to the Embassy because he still had his passport and money, so he didn’t think they would be interested.”
Known affectionately as “Little Mick,” Hewitt had no internet access and was “blissfully unaware” that his family had launched a desperate search to find him.
“Instead, he just got on with enjoying Barcelona, watching the England matches in the bars,” Gary said.
Before communication was lost, the family had seen Facebook photos showing Hewitt at a bar in the city.
As concern grew, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and Interpol launched efforts to locate him, while relatives appealed on social media for help in finding him.
After 10 days, staff at the British Embassy in Spain traced Hewitt to his hotel using records of his card payments and reunited him with his family the following day.
In a Facebook post, Gary expressed relief that the ordeal had ended safely.
“As a family, we desperately wanted an embarrassingly simple but happy ending to this horrendous episode, and we now have that,” he wrote.
“It’s amazing what can be achieved when the good people of the world go Marching on Together,” he added, referencing the anthem of Leeds United.
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