Croatian football team’s biggest Brazilian fan rewarded with trip to Croatia
- by croatiaweek
- in Sport
Rafael Beserra (holding shirt) in Zagreb (Photo: HTZ)
The Croatian Tourist Board has rewarded the loyalty and perseverance of Rafael Baserra.
One of the most passionate fans of the Croatian national football team is Francisco Rafael Beserra Sousa, a 30-year-old Brazilian who has been a long-time supporter of the ‘Vatreni’ and a great lover of Croatia since he fell in love with the country during the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France.
Beserra watched and followed Croatia live for the first time in Rotterdam during the final stages of the UEFA Nations League, and his loyalty and love for Croatia have been rewarded by the Croatian Tourist Board with a three-day stay in Opatija, the flagship of the Kvarner region and the birthplace of Croatian tourism.
“I was pleasantly surprised by the invitation from the Croatian Tourist Board, which further proved how warm and friendly the Croatian people are. I am thrilled with your fans and now with Croatia as a country that I adore. Thank you all for your sincere hospitality, and I am extremely excited about new adventures and experiences, especially meeting new people during my stay in beautiful Croatia,” said the charming Beserra.
(Photo: HTZ)
Beserra will stay in Opatija with his friend David Fonseca Pimentel, with whom he watched the matches in Rotterdam. The Opatija Tourist Board has also been involved in organising their stay, providing them with city sightseeing and participation in the popular RetrOpatija event, as well as other activities befitting true and genuine lovers of Croatia.
“We are pleased to have had the opportunity to host Rafael and his friend David. We have seen that he is a true admirer of our country, who, through his efforts, loyalty, perseverance, and knowledge of Croatia, has earned this charming and appropriate reward. We are confident that Rafael will now speak even more about Croatia, our people, and our culture, and as such, he will be a true promoter of Croatian tourism,” said the Croatian Tourist Board.
