England fan who visited Qatar Sheikhs £460m palace tells story

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An England World Cup fan who went viral after visiting a Sheikh’s £460million palace has shared the details of his incredible story. Everton fans, Alex Sullivan and his dad Tommy have travelled to Qatar for the tournament and were at the Khalifa International Stadium as the Three Lions beat Iran 6-2 in their opening game. 

The 23-year-old bumped into a member of the Emir of Qatar’s family during his first day in the Middle East as he hunted for ‘some beers’ in a local supermarket. The super-rich Sheikh took a shine to the Sullivans, taking him in his Lamborghini to his palace and allowing him to meet his lion cub. 

Alex has now opened up on what happened, shedding light on the hilarious story behind the viral moment. 

“We were apprehensive at first getting a lift when we met them,” he told the Daily Mirror. “But they were incredibly generous and hospitable and we had a great time. They had been asleep most of the day but they took us for a drive in the Lamborghini. I filmed that and also played with a lion cub.

“He had his own personal zoo with the lion cub, various birds of prey and some monkeys. They are obviously very powerful people in business. The palace was worth about two billion Qatari Riyal. But they were so down to earth and friendly, we had a really good conversation with them.”

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Many were dubious when his story first hit the airwaves but were quickly proved wrong after Alex released his photos and videos from the palace, showing off the Sheikh’s lion cub. 

After seeing that footage, one person commented online: “Genuinely thought this was b******t until I saw the videos in the thread. Hats off to them.”

Someone else posted: “Up the lion cub taming toffees”, while a third commenter said: “Roaring at those Everton lads that somehow got invited to a Palace and were cuddling lions, whilst on a hunt for beers in Qatar. You could not write it.”

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The father and son duo are making the most of the World Cup after Tommy set aside £20,000 on his retirement to enjoy the tournament. They joined some Iran fans ahead of England’s first match and will be treated to a round of drinks on them after the Three Lions victory. 

“We met some Iran fans in a bar and they were hugging us and shaking hands,” he said. “We agreed that we had to buy the drinks if they won, or they buy if we won.

“That is going to be a big round!”

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