Doha: Where is Santiago, the football fan who started walking from Madrid, Spain to Qatar? Football fans around the world and his social media fans have been worried about the last 20 days of no news about Santiago Sanchez Kogedar, who has been traveling across countries on foot with his wheelbarrow. Starting from Spain, reaching Iraq via France, Italy, Albania, Greece and Turkey, Santiago shared the last message on October 1 from near the Iranian border.
The last Instagram message shared the joy of crossing into Iran from a border town in northern Iraq. ‘Today is Friday. Everything is closed. Broiler has been bought from a small shop. The last note shared the memories of playing with the children and receiving the hospitality of the villagers, starting with ‘If you cross one more mountain, you will be in Iran.’
After a few days of waiting, Santiago Sanchez’s friends and readers started searching through his Instagram page. The last picture was taken from the border village of Penj Wen. He also shared pictures of seeing Iran beyond the mountains, staying and eating with villagers. His family friend says the last message from Santiago was on October 2 at 12:30 Spanish time.
They are upset that they have not been able to contact Santiago, who shares his location and map every day with a group of close friends. Santiago’s family spokesman and friend, Miguel Burgado, responded to the Spanish media that he may be imprisoned at the border or elsewhere. The Spanish Embassy in Iran has also started an investigation for Santiago. Santiago started walking from Madrid last January.
Santiago Sanchez during the trip
He arrived at the headquarters of the Spanish Embassy of Qatar in Madrid and received the blessings of Ambassador Abdullah bin Ibrahim Al Hamer. His plan was to reach Qatar in the second week of November after crossing a distance of 7,000 kilometers and crossing 15 countries. In the meantime, he mysteriously disappeared. In 2019, when Saudi Arabia was the venue for the Spanish Super Cup football, Santiago also has a history of traveling by bicycle from Madrid to Riyadh.