Yesterday we told you about the incredible story of the unlikely new star of the 2022 World Cup- a Kenyan man called Abubakar Abbas who has become a fan favourite in Qatar and has been branded Metro Man.
Well, last night, Metro Man's wildest dream became reality as he took centre stage at the Al Bayt Stadium where England were taking on the United States of America in a clash of the Group B giants.
While the action on the pitch played out to a drab nil-nil score, Metro Man was at hand to at least provide entertainment to the over 68,000 people in attendance. Abubakar was brought out in front of a cheering crowd to perform his "Metroooo" directions. The whole stadium rallied behind him, proving that at least for the one night, a Metro Man was more popular than the array of football superstars on the pitch including Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka and Christian Pulisic.
How Metro Man found fame How life changes. A Kenyan man named Abubakar Abbas has gone from a jobless man in Mombasa to a global superstar in only one month. The man who is currently working as a sign man at the Qatar World Cup is now simply known by his name Metro Man.
Videos of Abubakar sitting on a high chair in the streets of Doha while directing visitors to the metro station using a huge foam finger have been shared all over TikTok and Instagram by football fans attending the tournament.
Abubakar even started his own Metro Man TikTok account recently which has already garnered over 40,000 followers and hundreds of thousands of views on his videos.
Abubakar revealed to news website Tuko that he chanced upon the job in Qatar. Back in September, he heard about security job openings during the 2022 Qatar World Cup. He rushed to apply as it was the last day of applications and somehow, he got shortlisted for the interviews.
Despite hundreds of other people interviewing, he managed to land a slot. And according to him, it was all because of God. "I can say it is God's hand since I was told about the interview a day like today evening and tomorrow was the last day to be interviewed in Nairobi so I had to take the night bus and I thank God I was among those chosen for this," he tells Tuko.
On the nature of his job in Qatar he describes it as, "to be a security guide to show fans where their buses are and to the Metro." But he quickly became a fan favourite and as soon as his second day on the job, he found more unofficial duties as an entertainer thanks to his bubbly nature.
"My first day at work, I was bored, and I feel like it was not fulfilling for the fans also, so I found a way to engage them," he said, adding, "On the second day when I said Metro they replied with 'this way' so instead of them going direct to the Metro they would stop for photo ops and since I came here to work and its my passion yet it wasn't in the job description I had to flow with it."
