Student sneaks into Fifa awards, gets selfies with stars and tells Didier Drogba he’s ‘made up for my childhood’

A university student managed to brush shoulders with some of football’s biggest stars on Monday night, when he snuck into a VIP area of the Best Fifa Football Awards 2018 at London’s Royal Festival Hall.

20-year-old Niall Moran, who studies film industries and creative writing at the University of Portsmouth, won an Instagram competition to attend the event.

On arrival, he learned that his entrance would not include access to some of the biggest stars of the game, instead he was on the fifth floor of the event.

“When I got in I was ushered past the gala room into an elevator. I was told there wasn’t a chance I could meet any players, which was so frustrating,” Niall said.

“But after the ceremony finished they were just walking around downstairs, so I tried to delay leaving and waited in the toilet with my cousin Aidan who was there too.

“When we came out, all the security was gone so we walked round to where we knew the lift was and went downstairs. We’d timed it perfectly and somehow came out in the hallway where all the players were leaving. It was like the Lion King – like a stampede.”

The Arsenal fan allegedly jumped to embrace Brazil and Real Madrid star Marcelo, before realising he should keep a low profile. “I bumped into the wall and hit the back of my head. I looked to the right and who was there – the bane of my life, the person who made me cry more than anyone as a kid – Didier Drogba.

“He saw the whole thing go down and thought it was hilarious.”

He took a selfie with the Chelsea forward, before allegedly telling him “I wasn’t supposed to be there”. He asked him “not to let security take me.”

Dorgba apparently agreed to keep quiet, paving the way for a star-studded night. “He’s made up for my childhood now and I told him that,” Niall said.

Selfie collection

The student went onto take selfies with Raphael Varane (Real Madrid), Diego Forlan (formerly Manchester United), Marcel Desailly (French World Cup winner), Sol Campbell (formerly Arsenal) and David Seaman (former England and Arsenal goalkeeper) – as well as past and present Arsenal managers Arsene Wenger and Unai Emery.

“They all found it hilarious, they were helping me fulfil my dream. It was one of the best nights of my life,” Niall said. “I wouldn’t say I’m a troublemaker, but an opportunist. I wouldn’t have got the chance to meet these people if I didn’t try to myself.”

Asked whether it would be worth facing repercussions, Niall replied: “It was worth it. I didn’t harm anyone. If you ask any footballer, they enjoyed the company – I was no hassle.”

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Monday’s awards ceremony notably saw Croatia and Real Madrid playmaker Luka Modric win Fifa’s Best Men’s Player award – ending 10 years of shared victory for Barcelona’s Lionel Messi and now-Juventus frontman Cristiano Ronaldo.

Liverpool’s Mohammed Salah won the Fifa Puskas Award for best goal and Brazil forward Marta Vieira da Silva won The Best Fifa Women’s Player.

This article originally appeared on our sister website The News in Porstsmouth.