Football fans in Kerala woke up Wednesday to an unusual piece of news on social media: Champions League-winning football coach Thomas Tuchel has landed in Kochi.
The proof was selfies clicked by two youngsters in Chelsea FC shirts, and a short video of Tuchel pushing a trolley inside what appeared to be an airport.
In no time the authenticity of the photographs was confirmed; It was actually Tuchel -- one of the best managers in world football -- and the location was indeed the Cochin International Airport.
Soon the rumour mills went on overdrive as to what the now out-of-work top coach was doing in Kerala. Some even speculated that he was going to associate with some Indian Super League club. Could it be Kerala Blasters, some wondered.
Tuchel was dismissed as manager of Premier League heavyweights Chelsea in September, just months after he had delivered the London-based club their second Champions League trophy.
The purpose of his Kerala visit is yet to be known but it is highly unlikely that one of the most sought-after coaches in the world will seek work in India. Unconfirmed reports suggest that Tuchel is in Kerala for an Ayurveda treatment.
But who are those fans?
While Tuchel was clearly the main attraction, one couldn't help but wonder who were the two fans and how did they happen to be at the right place at the right time?
Now here is where the story gets interesting. Some Chelsea fan in Doha happened to learn that Tuchel was boarding a flight to Kerala. He passed on the information to his fellow Chelsea fans in Kerala.
But who was going to believe that, huh? Well, Joby John believed. "If this was a chance to meet Tuchel, I wasn't going to miss it. Anyway, I can't fly to Germany to meet him," Joby told Onmanorama.
It was past midnight and Joby, who lives at Vennala in Kochi, first, somehow, convinced his wife and then asked for volunteers to join his hopeful night ride to the airport that was about 30km away.
Most of them said no. But Anoop, another young Chelsea fan who lives further down south, in Edakochi, agreed. So the two set out, dressed in their best Chelsea FC shirt, on a scooter, in the pouring rain, on a hunch.
"We reached the airport after 1am and kept waiting. Based on the information we had from Doha, the flight bringing Tuchel was to land by 2 am. By around 2.45 am there he was. We screamed and kept waving. He saw us and was definitely surprised," said Joby, thrilled that they decided to take a chance.
"He was such a gentleman. He asked us how we knew he would be there. We told them the story and he was really happy. He let us take selfies. We told him how much we love him. It was such a surreal experience," said Joby, who works as an accountant in Kochi.
