There are 7,842 kilometres between São Paulo and Bremen, making it not exactly a trip you just take. One Brazilian woman took the journey upon herself as 42-year-old Maristela Alves was a guest in Bremen on Friday to watch Werder training and hand over a present to her idol Torsten Frings. "Torsten is absolutely my favourite player. That was one of the main reasons for me to make the trip from Brazil to Germany," said Alves about the 14-week Germany trip. "It is a super experience. For me it's a dream come true and I hope I can be here back again."
Frings himself was impressed with the surprise visit. "I was really very happy. You don't hear every day of a fan taking the long trip from Brazil. And I think it's great that people there support us," said the Werder captain, who owns a new pair of flip-flops. "She gave me them on Friday after the final training. In addition she wished us good luck for the game against Schalke." Alves got to watch the game against the Champions League semi-finalists live at Weser Stadium. Frings and Co. could not give her a victory but it was a great experience for the 42-year-old nonetheless.