Atdhe, Arsenal and David Hirst: How Marcus Tudgay sparked a Brazilian Sheffield Wednesday obsession

But there’s a somewhat surprising name that the 25-year-old holds as dear to him from 6,000 miles away; that of former Sheffield Wednesday supporter Marcus Tudgay.

The man behind the Brazilian Owls Supporters Group, who is no stranger to Hillsborough having attended some of the most iconic matches in the club’s modern history back in 2015, owes his obsession with the faraway South Yorkshire club to the forward’s stats on a well-known video game.

“It started when I was really young,” Rafa explains to The Star on a Zoom call while proudly wearing a Wednesday shirt. “I played a lot of FIFA, all I would do is play football and play FIFA.

“I searched for a team I could build up and I found Sheffield Wednesday. I wanted a team with a good striker and at the time they had Marcus Tudgay and that was it.

“I grew huge affection for Sheffield Wednesday and then I saw Tudgay score that goal at the Lane and run across the pitch to celebrate with the Owls fans.

“When I saw that, I was just a teenager and loved football, there was something that changed in me. I thought ‘wow, this team is massive, they are my team now’.

“It developed from there, I started supporting and learning more about them from there.”

Rafa, who also supports Brazilian giants Corinthians and regularly attends their matches, started a Twitter account and found himself embroiled in the online world of Sheffield Wednesday. By the time he was afforded a student exchange opportunity at the University of Leicester in 2015, he already knew several Wednesday fans.

Two in particular; Rich Davies and Simon Hodgkinson, took it upon themselves to make his first trip to S6 a special one. Physio Paul Smith organised for the squad to sign a shirt for Rafa to have. The club, it is remembered, could not have been more accommodating.

“The first thing I did when I arrived in Sheffield was to buy the Tudgay shirt with the long sleeves,” he laughed. “I needed that!

“The lads picked me up and said they would take me to a pub they drink at before the match. I arrived at the bar and the staff members were wearing the badge of the Brazilian Owls. Then they gave me a signed shirt. Incredible.

“I asked them ‘guys I don’t even know you, why are you doing this?’ They explained to me it was the way of the club, how the treat their friends and fellow fans. It was amazing.”

A brief wait at Hillsborough’s reception preceded more surprises, including a chance meeting with legendary Owls forward David Hirst and some time with one of the club’s cult heroes of modern times.

“It was crazy,” Rafa remembers. “This is the man I had read so many stories about was just there, he was so kind, really receptive and generous in talking to me. He told me Wednesday would win for me.

“Within no time a lady from the club took us to the entrance of the stadium and suddenly I was on the side of the pitch.

“I was looking at the Kop taking a picture and suddenly I heard a strange voice calling my name. It was Atdhe Nuhiu. It was so emotional.”

The marketer still watches Wednesday games from his home in Brazil via iFollow and though results haven’t made it all that easy to maintain enthusiasm, Rafa’s love for Wednesday hasn’t wavered, his taking of the rough with the smooth an acceptance of the ‘Wednesday Way’.

Luckily, his semester at Leicester coincided with far happier times, his first day at S6 a 3-1 win over Preston before a 4-1 win over Wolves and a truly remarkable 3-0 League Cup win over Arsenal.

“Now that was a crazy one,” he remembers. “What an atmosphere. I was on the Kop and it was incredible.

“In Brazil it can be crazy, we have drums and flares and things they aren’t allowed in England anymore, but on the day at Hillsborough it was even louder than anything I had ever heard. The noise was unbelievable.

“To be there for a 3-0 against Arsenal was so special. Then I watched them beat Wolves 4-1 and I left England unbeaten!”

Remarkable though it may sound, it is memories such as this that have sparked a desire to live in South Yorkshire, a move he feels he may already have made were it not for the coronavirus crisis.

Being a season ticket holder on the Kop for a season is the ultimate ambition that underpins that plan. Rafa wants to live and breathe Sheffield Wednesday, at least for one year.

“It’s something I want to do,” he said. “I have a strong feeling for Wednesday that is hard to explain.

“I will do it as soon as possible. If it wasn’t for the pandemic, I think I would now be established enough in what I do to go and live in Sheffield. I work in digital marketing; Facebook ads and so on. I can find a living there.

“I would take that risk and I hope to soon, I just can’t right now.”

And what do his friends back home think of his Wednesday love affair?

“Now they accept it,” he said. “They thought I was completely dumb at first I think, but they understand what happened and my love for the team.

“I have a friend here that loves football, he doesn’t care what team is playing and he watches with me.

“What they did for me, the fans, the club, beyond words. I still don’t have the words to thank them for what they did. If any Wednesdayite ever comes to São Paulo, please let me know.

“I wish to return the favour.”

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