The fans inside the Stade Velodrome, the home of Olympique Marseille, witnessed something unique on 24 September. A Marseille fan Kamel Zaroual walked onto the pitch ahead of the kick-off against Toulouse.
Kamel wasn't a pitch invader but a special fan who was invited to take part in the kick-off was because he had cycled across France to raise money for a children’s charity. For that, he pedalled 2000 km to watch his beloved club play Amiens. Like a hardcore fanboy, he did it all in a Marseille jersey.
Taking to the hallowed turf, Kamel was instructed by referee Benoit Millot to simply pass the ball back to one of his heroes, Dimitri Payet. However, Kamel had something else in mind.
Kamel ran through the Toulouse half of the field and calmly slotted home past 18-year-old Toulouse goalkeeper Alban Lafont before he celebrated with unadulterated emotion. The emotion, and how much it meant to him was clear as tears ran down his face, and a warm embrace with Marseille manager Rudi Garcia followed.
And to make things better, Marseille went on to win the game 2-0.
Laureus World Sports Awards have been in existence for the last 17 years, with the first Laureus Awards held in 2000. Other than the Laureus Best Sporting Moment, Laureus announces its awards in eight different categories, some of them being: Laureus World Sportsman of the Year, Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year, Laureus World Team of the Year.
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Published Date: Dec 12, 2017 09:03 am | Updated Date: Dec 12, 2017 09:04 am