A Liverpool FC fan has travelled thousands of miles to watch his beloved football team but found much more on his visit to Merseyside. David Ng, 23, took a risk and bought a one-way plane ticket to come and watch Liverpool play West Ham at Anfield, but thanks to the kindness of strangers, he still hasn’t returned home to Sweden.
Having grown up on the other side of the world in Singapore, David would wake up as early as 3am to watch Liverpool play on his TV. He said that it was Liverpool’s “underdog” status that initially drew him to the club.
He told the ECHO: “I was curious because back then Liverpool was an underdog team in the process of rebuilding and I love rooting for the underdog. Then Klopp came in, and I absolutely adore the man, his philosophy, his charisma and his iconic smile. He said ‘From Doubters to Believers’ and I was sold. I became a Red and never looked back.”
After finishing school, he began studying at the National University of Singapore and has more recently started studying at the Lund University School of Economics and Management in Sweden.
David made his first visit to Liverpool earlier this year when he watched Liverpool take on Brighton and Hove Albion. But he was eager to come back and had been closely watching the club’s website for any tickets to become available.
“I was really excited that a league game was open for general sale. It was the Liverpool vs West Ham game. Unfortunately, I couldn’t secure tickets because they were sold out by the time it reached my queue number. However, I checked the site again at night and there were hospitality tickets on sale – and at a discounted rate, so I went and got one.”
David Ng has been blown away by the kindness of Scousers during his visit -Credit:Supplied/ David Ng
“I booked a one-way ticket to Liverpool because it was only a few days before the match, tickets from my nearest airport, Copenhagen flying to Manchester were really expensive. So, my plan was to book a one way ticket to Manchester so I could get to the match in time for the hospitality buffet, and later book another one-way back from London as it was a lot cheaper.”
However, his plans to spend some time in London have changed. He said: “I will only have about half a day in London because I have extended my stay in Liverpool to enjoy the city more – take the river cruise, visit Liverpool’s AXA training centre, and most importantly, watch an extra LFC game, away at Wolves in the FA Cup on Friday.”
A cancelled flight from Copenhagen meant that he had to quickly book another, and he was late to the hospitality buffet. However, it was then that he said that he got his first taste of the kindness of Scousers.
He said: “It was quite a nightmare experience, but the staff at the hospitality buffet were so kind. They told me not to worry, they offered me a matchday programme, and gave me some of the food that was left. Even though it was not an obligation on their end, since it was me who missed the programme, they still did what they could to make me feel better and excited for the match – which was the primary reason I flew all the way.”
David posing at the Virgil Van Dijk mural just a stone’s throw away from Anfield stadium -Credit:Supplied/ David Ng
He added: “This pretty much sums up how Scousers are – they treat everyone as family. I had already got a taste of this when I came the first time, but I soon discovered this to be more and more obvious, the longer I stayed. This was the turning point of the trip, things only went up from here.”
With still no return flight back to Copenhagen booked, David’s next mission was to try and go to as many matches as possible. He said: “I was hoping to try and get tickets and watch Wolves away in the league game [on Tuesday March 3] and FA Cup game [on Friday March 6] as well.”
He added: “I was trying to get on an away coach to Molineux stadium for the league game against Wolves, but the club coach was fully booked. I was redirected to the Arkles pub, where I was told another group of locals were waiting for another coach which might have extra seats. I went to ask them about the coach, and that’s when we became friends.”
While he had met the “veteran Liverpool fans” by total luck, he said that it wasn’t long before they took him under their wing. He said: “It was absolutely by chance. It was my first time meeting them, but from the get go, they treated me like their own – I felt like they took me under their wing and adopted me as a grandson.”
David Ng recently attended his first LFC away game at Molineux Stadium -Credit:Supplied/ David Ng
After successfully getting a ticket to the Wolves league game midweek, he was also in attendance as Liverpool took on Wolves again at the Molineux stadium on Friday night. And, he will even be joining his new found friends again as Liverpool continue their journey in the Champions League next week. He said: “I will also be going to both the home and away Champions League fixtures against Galatasaray with them.”
He added: “I would like to show my gratitude to the locals at the Arkles for taking me in as their own unconditionally. They are the hidden heroes in my time here in Liverpool, and I feel so so grateful to them. To the lads at the Arkles, thank you, for all the love and care you’ve shown me. I am moved beyond words. These are moments I’ll cherish for life, and take with me to my grave.”