AN Italian football fan has been rewarded by his heroes after making a staggering 1,000mile round trip.
FC Suditrol travelled from the north of the country to the south to take on Benevento in a Serie B clash – a trip of 521 miles one way.
And they were joined by just one travelling fan, a man called Damian Gruber.
He had to take two days off work, hired two cars and took a flight to make the match on Wednesday.
But it was all worth it as Suditrol won 2-0.
After the game Damian was rewarded for his dedication by the players, with centre-back Andrea Masiello gifting the superfan his shirt.
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The supporter also received shorts while fellow fans have previously paid tribute to anyone willing to travel so far to support the team.
A previously unveiled banner read: “Honour to those who grind kilometres.”
Damian was interviewed after his mammoth journey and he revealed how he was able to travel so far.
He said: “I took two days off to make this trip. I hired a car to go from Bolzano to Bergamo, then the plane from Bergamo to Naples, and another car from Naples to Benevento.
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“I did all the provinces in which Südtirol played, except Reggio Calabria, because I didn’t have enough money.
“Fortunately, I work for German craftsmen, and they help me a lot in my travels. I have a great boss.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
