Portuguese tourism officials have launched an appeal to find the France supporter who was consoled by a Portugal fan after his country's defeat in the Euro 2016 final. The pair were praised for their "sportsmanship."
Image: Reuters
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When sportsmanship transcends the sport
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Portugal's tourist board announced on Tuesday that a search was underway to find the Frenchman to invite him to visit Portugal.
Officials said they wanted the mystery fan to "get to know Portugal and experience the authentic welcome."
Video footage showing a young Portugal fan named Mathis consoling the tearful France supporter in a Paris fan zone went viral this week. Millions of viewers praised the pair for showing "true sportsmanship" as their hug was caught on camera.
The actions of the boy "communicated the intense emotions of the final and demonstrated the way to be friendly, tolerant and authentically Portuguese," the tourist board said, adding that both he and the Frenchman were invited.
Euro 2016: The best moments
The European Championship, in its new 24-team format, was awash with great narratives even if the football was not the best. This year was the year of the minnows.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Thew
The Song No-One Will Forget
"Will Grigg's on fire" was the soundtrack of Euro 2016 - ahead of the unpopular official David Guetta song, if social media is much to go by. Grigg didn't even play a minute of the tournament for Northern Ireland but the chant became a hit on YouTube. Wherever he plays next, defenses will be terrified.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Sampics/S. Pahnke
CR7-Selfie
The fans really made the tournament but this one probably should not have found his way on to the pitch for a selfie with Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/S. Suki
Löw`s Trouser Problems
Social media played a big part in Euro 2016 and unfortunately for Germany coach Joachim Löw, he bore much of the brunt of the jokes. Löw was caught on camera with his hands down his pants in the group game with Ukraine and the web would not let him forget it.
Image: Reuters/C. Recine
Spectacular Save
Possibly the best save of the tournament did not come from a goalkeeper. Germany defender Jerome Boateng acrobatically cleared off the line against Ukraine when a goal seemed almost certain. Germany won their opening match 2-0.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Thew
Use of Flares
It was not all joy on the terraces at Euro 2016. Flares made a comeback at a major tournament and some were hurled on to the pitch in a handful of games. UEFA punished the national associations but many wondered how French security had let the offending items into stadiums in the first place.
Image: picture alliance/CITYPRESS24
Hooliganism Returns
It was not just flares. Hooliganism reared its ugly head at Euro 2016 with trouble in the stands at the group game between Russia and England. Russia were punished with a suspended disqualification from the tournament from UEFA which seemed to do the job. There were also sporadic incidents of fan trouble away from stadiums too.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/EPA/D. Zennaro
Zlatan Quits Internationals
International football has not really been his stage and Sweden´s Zlatan Ibrahimovic said goodbye to the national team on a downer. Sweden were dumped out in the group phase. One can only wonder what prizes he might have won had he been German or French or Italian...
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/A. Haider
Buffon's Joy
Beating defending champions Spain 2-0 in the last 16 was a major achievement for Italy, especially as they fully deserved their victory. Goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon got a little overexcited for a man of 38 years of age and hung from the crossbar.
Image: Reuters/C. Platiau
Handball Specialists
Boateng's only blot on a strong tournament came when he gave away an almost inexplicable penalty for handball in the quarter-final against Italy. It allowed Italy to level the scores at 1-1 and eventually take the game to a penalty shootout.
Image: picture-alliance/AA/M. Sohn
Zaza's Penalty Dance
The penalty shootout between Germany and Italy was memorable for the number of misses, and hilarious ones at that. Simone Zaza was brought on as a substitute especially to take a spotkick but his weird stuttering, chicken-like run-up sent social media into meltdown as he missed woefully.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Frederic
Hector's Delight
Eventually Germany's Jonas Hector managed to end the penalty deadlock in sudden death after the longest shootout in Euro or World Cup history. Seven penalties were missed and the 18th kick of the shootout only just squeezed in.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/C. Charisius
Huh-huh-huh
The Iceland chant and fan clap will be the most memorable takeaway from Euro 2016 with many teams shamelessly copying the celebration. Tiny Iceland performed a minor miracle in reaching the quarter-finals in their first major tournament, knocking out embarrassed England on the way.
Image: Reuters/C. Hartmann
Griezmann Comes Of Age
France forward Antonie Griezmann ended up tournament top scorer with six goals, two of which came in the semi-final win over Germany. The Atletico Madrid man is suddenly hot property and the 25-year-old will be a Les Bleus star for years to come.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/F. Gambarini
Portugal`s Pride
The winner and the final the tournament deserved. Not great but dogged. Portugal`s surprise triumph summed up Euro 2016 - plenty of drama but little quality.