A FEYENOORD fan has revealed his unflinching dedication to the club – by having his son born in another country so he could name him after the team.
Dutch laws prevent children being given inappropriate names, requiring the plucky supporter to ask – kindly, we hope – his pregnant wife to cross the border to Belgium.
The young fan in this viral photo is claimed to be one of the man’s other sonsCredit: Getty – Contributor
The child was then appropriately named Bryan Feyenoord – although the man’s partner is now apparently his ex-wife.
During a phone-in about funny baby naming stories, the man told radio show Mattie & Marieke: “The Netherlands prohibits such names.
“So my wife had to give birth go to Belgium, there you could call him Feyenoord.”
Remarkably, the man also claimed to be the father of the child famously flipping the bird in one of the internet’s earliest viral photos.
He stated: “My eldest son is the famous little man with his middle finger up in that photo. Almost everyone has seen that.”
It is said the lad in that notorious meme is called Mikey Wilson, with the incident occurring during the 2002 UEFA Cup final between Feyenoord and Borussia Dortmund.
That would place the Belgium birth story in the early 2000s, and it could have been very different too as Brazilian winger Leonardo was initially earmarked for the child.
But the father hesitated due to the seemingly inevitable exit Leonardo would eventually make from the Eredivisie club.
He continued: “When my son was born, Leonardo Santiago played for Feyenoord and many people I knew named their son after him.
“What happened? The player left.
“Only the sons are still called that, you see? At that moment I thought to myself: ‘it won’t happen to me’.”
The supporter’s eldest son as the famous image was snappedCredit: Getty Images – Getty
The Dutch club’s fans are known for their huge passion
Feyenoord fans take over Glasgow city centre blocking traffic as they sing and drink in the sun
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
