US World Cup-Bound England Fan Found in Spain After 10-Day Disappearance

An England football supporter who went missing while en route to the United States for the World Cup has been safely located in Spain. Michael Hewitt, 65, last communicated with his family on June 21, from Barcelona, just one day after the devoted Leeds United fan departed the UK, as reported by Leeds Live.

Hewitt was undertaking a brief stopover in Spain before his scheduled flight to Boston, where England had a 0-0 draw against Ghana last Wednesday. However, after misplacing his mobile phone, which contained all his crucial travel documents, he became stranded in Barcelona, his brother, Gary, disclosed to The US Sun. "He lost his phone soon after arriving in Barcelona, and didn’t know any of the phone numbers stored on it," Gary explained to the publication. He added, "He didn’t think to go to the Embassy as he still had his passport and money, so didn’t think they’d be interested."

Hewitt, fondly known by his moniker "Little Mick," lacked internet access and was completely unaware that his family was frantically searching for him. "Instead, he just got on with enjoying Barcelona, watching the England matches in the bars," his brother stated. His family had last seen photographs of him on Facebook, enjoying himself at a bar in the European city, before all contact ceased.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, alongside Interpol, initiated an investigation into Hewitt’s disappearance, while relatives implored local residents to share posts about him. After a period of 10 days, the British Embassy in Spain successfully traced the football enthusiast's hotel through his card payment records and facilitated contact with his family the following day.

Gary shared in a Facebook statement that his family was immensely relieved and thankful for the positive outcome after the harrowing search. "As a family, we desperately wanted an embarrassingly simple but happy ending to this horrendous episode, and we now have that," Gary expressed. He concluded by saying, "It’s amazing what can be achieved when the good people of the world go Marching on Together," referencing the well-known anthem of Leeds United.