By Chris Wright
Yesterday, four-year-old Manchester United fan Louis Diamond went viral – as the kids may or may not say any more – after a video of him reacting to news of Robin van Persie’s move to Fenerbahce did the social media rounds.
After having the bad news broken to him by his parents, poor Louis was unable to hold back the flood and promptly set about bawling and pointing longingly at the poster he’d drawn of the Dutch striker – his favourite United player.
@Persie_Official my son is gutted you’re leaving 😭😂 #mufc #VanPersie #ManUtd pic.twitter.com/bXexmQdbQt
— Sam Diamond (@samdiamond9) July 10, 2015
Well, we’re pleased to announce that it looks like we might be in for a happy ending.
According to the Manchester Evening News, a Fenerbahce fan has launched a fund-raising campaign to help little Louis get over Van Persie’s transition by paying for the heart-broken youngster to fly out and watch the Dutchman in action for his new side.
The campaign was set up by Turkish hotelier Ragip Ulas Altun, who outlined his intentions on his Indiegogo page:
“If you really love something, you start crying the moment you get close to losing it. As a child, you haven’t quite grasped the workings of the world yet so it’s even harder.
“But this is how the world works. It generally makes you cry. You learn it in time.
“In this video you can see what a Manchester United fan, a tiny little boy, went through when he heard that Robin Van Persie was going to transfer to Fenerbahçe…
“I would like this little kid to come to the league’s first match of the season. Fenerbahçe’s match against Eskişehir Spor, and if it’s possible, to meet Van Persie.
“I have a small boutique hotel in Galata, Istanbul. I will take on the family’s accommodation, transfer and other costs, I just need the family to pay for their London-Istanbul flights. Unfortunately the family expressed that they couldn’t do that, and I can’t afford that either.
“If you want, and if you can, I say let’s buy the ticket together.”
So far, Ragip has managed to raise £540 of his £1,300 target, with 75 sympathetic football fans already donating to the cause in the space of one day.
Louis’ dad, 35-year-old Sam Diamond (the man responsible for filming his son’s catatonic despair), told the MEN:
“Going to Turkey would be a dream come true and seeing van Persie play for Fenerbahce would be amazing.”
“We could never have expected the level of generosity from our friends in Turkey. We’re flattered by the attention.”
Come on internet. Make. It. Happen.