The most heart-breaking story of the FIFA World Cup belongs to Mexico fan Gilberto Martinez. Having planned to go to Russia together as a family. Gilberto lost his wife and two young children, aged eight and six, in a fatal car crash in April on holiday in Delray Beach, Florida. Martinez, a lawyer, sought help from a psychologist who told him that in order to move on and to honour his late family, he should “close the only outstanding issue in a beautiful family, to fulfil the dream of the four.”
So Gilberto travelled to Russia and watched Mexico’s first game against defending champions Germany, wearing the tags of his family. Mexico won 1-0 – on June 17, Father’s Day. “It was very difficult,” said Martinez. He uploaded a video to Facebook and received more than 3,000 comments. Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa wrote on social media: “This was for your family.”
