England fan who vanished on his way to the World Cup two weeks ago is FOUND… in a pub in Barcelona
An England fan who went missing on his way to the World Cup two weeks ago has been found in a bar in Barcelona.
Michael Hewitt, 65, was ‘blissfully unaware’ of the frantic international search for him and was only identified after a holidaying British police officer spotted his Leeds United jersey.
The football fan known as ‘Little Mick’ left his hometown of Leeds on June 20 and told his family he was going to Boston to watch England’s match against Ghana via Barcelona on June 23.
But he never arrived in Massachusetts and made no contact with his home; He led his family to believe that he had “disappeared without a trace”.
Fearing the worst when they saw his phone was offline, they made a desperate call to find him and shared his photo around the world.
His brother Gary admitted he thought he would ‘never hear Mick’s voice again’.
Family’s nightmare is finally over thanks to British police officer and football salute
The police officer was on holiday in Barcelona when he chanced upon Mick sipping a drink in a bar while wearing a Leeds United jersey.
Michael Hewitt, known as ‘Little Mick’ to his friends, was on his way to Boston to watch the Three Lions game when he suddenly lost contact with his loved ones.
Mick’s loved ones said they last heard from him in the early hours of June 21 and it was not known whether he had been outside Spain.
The cop and Mick, himself a Leeds supporter, saluted the club: his right hand clasped over his heart.
But the officer later recognized the missing Brit in a social media post and immediately contacted Barcelona police to report the discovery.
Soon Gary was on the phone with his brother and later recalled the urge to both ‘hug’ and ‘smother’ him.
It turned out that Mick had planned to go to Boston only if he could get tickets for the England-Ghana match, but he was unable to do so.
He also lost his phone shortly after arriving in Barcelona, but he was so unimpressed that he didn’t feel the need to inform his family.
Instead, he spent ten days chilling out and tasting the local cerveza.
Gary told the Athletic: ‘As he still had his wallet and passport he saw no reason to go to the Embassy or inform us.
‘He’s just lingering in Barcelona.’
Gary said he and his sister thought any phone call would be a request to identify Mick’s body, so they were delighted to hear the good news.
When Michael was reported missing, his phone was out of service and his social media was untouched
This devoted Leeds United supporter (right), who has followed the club to home and away matches for decades, will be a familiar face to many around the world, Michael’s brother said.
He said: ‘Just hearing his voice felt like a huge weight had been lifted.
‘When you stop hearing a sound again and you hear it, it’s really hard to describe the feeling.’
Gary said he told Mick to go home, make a cup of tea and read all the messages online from concerned loved ones.
He added: ‘Mick is in the rare position of being able to find out what people really think of him while he’s still alive.’
