Missing World Cup fan found safe in Barcelona after 10 days

A Leeds United and England fan who had been missing for 10 days while travelling to the World Cup has been found “safe and well”, his brother has confirmed.

Michael Hewitt, nicknamed Little Mick, had not been in contact with friends or family since 21 June, when he was visiting Barcelona before he planned to fly to Boston to watch England play Ghana.

The 65-year-old has now been located in Barcelona, where he had stayed after losing his phone and being unable to access his tickets for the flight to the US.

His brother Gary said: “Little Mick is safe and well in Barcelona, blissfully unaware that the whole world was searching for him.”

A statement posted on Facebook continued: “As a family, we desperately wanted an embarrassingly simple but happy ending to this horrendous episode and we now have that.”

During the 10-day search, the Hewitts contacted Spanish police and Interpol, and managed to ascertain that Michael’s passport had never been scanned at US entry points.

West Yorkshire Police also accessed his flat in Adel, west, Leeds, and confirmed he had not returned home.

The last sighting of him had been in a bar in Barcelona, where the owner confirmed he had appeared fit and well, and he had posted photos on Facebook from the city before contact was lost.

Michael, a retired trade union official, has supported Leeds United since the 1960s and regularly travels overseas for matches.

Gary said it was still unclear how his brother had spent his time since he had last been in touch with friends or family, but thanked football fans who had shared appeals to find him.

He added: “It’s amazing what can be achieved when the good people of the world Go Marching On Together.”