West Ham fans want to identify 'unsung hero' who fought off thugs alongside 'Knollsy' at euro away day
West Ham fans want to identify 'unsung hero' who fought off thugs alongside 'Knollsy' at euro away day
West Ham fans have taken to social media in a bid to find another man who fought off thugs alongside the now well-known 'Knollsy' last week.
The Hammers made history in the semi-final of the Europa Conference League on Thursday (18 May), after beating Dutch side AZ Alkmaar 3-1 on aggregate to make the final in Prague next month.
But Friday's (19 May) headlines were anything but what happened on the pitch, as a group of hooded AZ football fans attempted to storm into the West Ham area reserved for friends and family behind the dugout.
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Of course, footage of the attack has been circulating massively in recent days, with a 58-year-old man known as 'Knollsy' praised online after footage emerged of him fending off an entire group of AZ Alkmaar fans single-handedly.
Chris 'Knollsy' Knoll has since been gifted a ticket to the Europa Conference League final next month - something that is hugely converted, as less 5,000 West Ham fans will be in attendance for their game against Italian side Fiorentina.
The man who is now dubbed 'Angel of Alkmaar' for his heroic antics has said he was overcome with emotion when he found out he would be heading to the final.
"I am at work and when I got the call today, I nearly cried. I am, so pleased, so happy. I am made up," the father-of-four revealed.
The super-fan disclosed he had been personally contacted by a club official who he had met during Thursday's match.
But while many footie fans have labelled 'Knollsy' as the hero, others have pointed to a second fan who they believe deserves similar credit.
A still of the man in one of the viral videos has been posted to the Hammers Reddit forum, with the user @nepourjoueraubingo captioning the post with: "Are you the Green Shirt man from the video? You deserve as much praise as Knollsy - anyone know him?"
As the Reddit user said, the West Ham fan was wearing a green t-shirt, alongside a dark jacket and some blue jeans.
In just that still, he can bee seen pushing away AZ ultras, though it is unclear if he is actually a West Ham fan or a supporter of AZ Alkmaar.
Nonetheless, a lot of West Ham fans want the 'hero' identified, as they believe he stopped a lot of trouble on what was a momentous night for the Premier League side.
"This bloke was my favourite, hope he gets a ticket for the final," one person wrote.
While a second added: "This guy is a modern day hero!"
Callum Jones