A Manchester United fan is cycling more than 11,000km from Mongolia to Old Trafford to watch his first match
- Ochirvaani Batbold has already travelled more than 3,000km from his home in Ulaanbaatar, and plans to arrive in England in December
- He hopes to ‘inspire’ others after harrowing ordeal of being scammed by a fake agent when he was an aspiring teenage footballer
A Mongolian footballer and diehard Manchester United fan is cycling more than 11,000km to watch his beloved club play at Old Trafford live for the first time.
Ochirvaani Batbold – who goes by the nickname “Ochiroo” as well as “Wazza” in a nod to his favourite player, Wayne Rooney – began his mammoth journey on May 5, and has already travelled 3,000km from his home in the capital of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar.
The 25-year-old, who has played in the Mongolian Premier League, is now in China and will next pass through Kazakhstan, then Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Turkey, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Serbia, Hungary, Austria, Germany, France, and will finally arrive in England in December.
“Everything started with an imagination and a dream,” Ochiroo wrote in a Facebook post. “I did my best for everything that I imagined and dreamed of. I’ve been through so much stuff.
“But one day I tried to reach my destination without losing hope. I am so happy that my dream could hear my voice, and that I could feel my passion.”
Ochiroo, who is averaging 100km a day on his bike, decided to take on the mammoth task to help himself move on from the ordeal of being scammed in 2015 on Facebook by a fake agent.
When he was a 17-year-old amateur at Bayangol FC, living in poverty with his parents, the scammer took around nearly US$4,000 from his family while promising to secure him a football trial with Major League Soccer club the LA Galaxy.
A charity appeal helped him raise the money again to pay back his family, who had taken a loan out to pay the scammer. But the mental scars have taken a long time to heal.
“I love adventure and Manchester United, and really wanted to be proud of everything I’ve been through,” Ochiroo, who won the Mongolian Cup win Tuv Buganuud in 2022, told the English Premier League giants’ official website.
“Also, I want to do something that inspires others a lot. Then I can live without regrets. So I decided to cycle to Old Trafford.”
“I promised myself that I would make my dreams come true, not just for myself, but for those who trusted me and always supported me,” he added.
Ochiroo has supported United since 2010, ever since watching Dimitar Berbatov score a hat-trick in a 3-2 home win against Liverpool.
“Whenever I watched television, there were Man United matches and stories,” he told United’s website. “That is how I met United for the first time.
“The first game I remember was United v Liverpool in September 2010. Also my uncle was a big Man United fan. So I supported Man United and especially Wayne Rooney. Wazza was such a powerful player. I loved his game style.”
Ochiroo has already experienced extreme weather since setting out on his journey, with at least another 8,000km to go.
“There were many difficult days with cold, snow and rain. And now very hot days are continuing,” he said. “The hardest day was a snowstorm.
“But I’ve seen very beautiful places – the best bit was the road to Sayram Lake in Xinjiang, China. I’ve also met so many good people. I feel so good about everything.
“I will end my story at Old Trafford, for my first time. I want to create beautiful memories that I will never forget.”
