A group of Mexican football fans came up with a hilarious solution to their friend missing out on their trip to the World Cup in Russia.
The five men from Durango, northwest Mexico, had been planning the road-trip of a lifetime since the 2014 World Cup, but just days before they were due to depart, one of them said he could no longer make it.
The man, only named as Javier, told his friends that his wife had put her foot down, and he could no longer come to Russia – so the rest of the group decided to bring along a life-size cardboard cut-out of him.
All I got was this was this lousy t-shirt: Although Javier was unable to travel to Russia to watch the World Cup with his friends, he came along in spirit – or rather in cardboard – with his paper alter-ego wearing a t-shirt saying: ‘My wife didn’t let me go’
We made it! Cardboard-Javier poses with his friends and other football fans in Moscow, where the group arrived after first crossing the North Atlantic and then driving through Europe
Making friends: The group have been documenting their – and cardboard-Javier’s – road to Russia in hilarious social media snaps
The five men had made their minds up about travelling to this year’s World Cup while watching the 2014 tournament, and had begun saving up for the trip right away.
They bought a run-down bus and spent hours painting it in Mexico’s colours and covering it in illustrations celebrating Mexican culture.
They booked themselves and the bus on to a ship from Mexico to Spain and planned to drive to Russia from there.
However, in April, shortly before they were due to board the ship, Javier was forced to tell his friends he would not be joining them, claiming his wife would not let him.
Happy wife, happy life? The friends had been planning the road-trip to Russia for four years, so were devastated when Javier said he had to stay, but managed to find a creative solution
He needs a stiff one: The group started a Facebook page for their road trip, where they post funny snaps of the adventures of cardboard-Javier
Javinception: A video posted by the friends show cardboard-Javier in the crowd during a screening of a football game, and suddenly appearing on the big screen
The Facebook video in which he told his pals he wasn’t allowed to come along to the World Cup went viral in Mexico, Oddity Central reports.
Seeing the funny side in the tragedy, his friends had a life-sized cardboard cut-out mad, where Javier is looking grumpy and wearing a t-shirt saying ‘My wife didn’t let me go’.
After setting off nearly two months ago, the four friends and cardboard-Javier arrived in Moscow on June 14, with three days to spare before Mexico’s first game.
There in spirit: Cardboard-Javier poses with fellow football fans in Moscow
The group have been documenting their – and cardboard-Javier’s – journey to Russia in a series of funny Facebook posts.
Photos uploaded to social media shows the paper cut-out standing in line for a portaloo, sitting behind the wheel of the bus and taking a nap.
Cardboard-Javier, who has also been crowd-surfing and taking part in drinking games, has become a favourite among fans in Russia, who can be seen posing next to the paper-man in many of the snaps.
The friends appear to have made it their mission that cardboard-Javier should have just as much fun as real-life Javier would have had.