I’m a France Euro 2024 superfan who has attended every tournament for 42 years and brought 35 roosters to games
FROM sneaking a rooster into the stadium to watching France in 45 different countries – Clement Tomaszewski never chickens out of an away day.
The superfan unexpectedly shot to fame in 1998 when Les Bleus won the World Cup on home soil.
During his country’s semi-final win over Croatia 26 years ago, TV cameras panned across the stands as Tomaszewski left worldwide viewers in disbelief.
Sat in the front row, tied to a thin piece of string while pecking at corn was his pet rooster Balthazar.
The image went viral and since then Tomaszewski and his cockerel have become unlikely icons in France.
It has seen him mix with stars of the French national team and be granted access to their team hotel.
And he has even become the only fan exhibited at the Fifa Museum, where they display his wooden World Cup trophy signed by the entire 1998 squad.
Lifting the lid on how he first managed to get a rooster into the ground, Tomaszewski explained to The Athletic: “Nobody told me anything.
“The stewards must have thought: ‘Well, his cockerel is going to bring France luck, we’re not going to forbid him from entering’.
“If there was the slightest problem with the cockerel, I was to be banned permanently so I’d better watch out.”
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Tomaszewski is a France superfan, who has followed his country across the world for 42 years.
He has watched them play in four continents – Europe, Asia, Africa and South America.
And the Euro 2024 semi-final against Spain will be the 76-year-old’s 305th game in the stands.
Tomaszewski and his son Christophe have not decided to bring Balthazar to Germany because they are staying in a hostel.
But over the years there has been 35 different roosters that have been to games with him.
He has either brought a cockerel from France or buys them while abroad.
But will Kylian Mbappe and Co be able to go all the way at the Euros without their lucky charm Balthazar in the stands.