The world came to North America for soccer this summer. One German tourist stayed for the gas stations. A young fan known online as "Freddy the German" set out to follow Germany's team across the U.S. and Canada, and somewhere around his first late-night at Waffle House, he became an unlikely internet star.
Posting his journey on the social platform X, formerly Twitter, Freddy turned a six-week road trip into must-read entertainment. According to Newsweek, his unfiltered enthusiasm racked up millions of views and made him a viral sensation, and the Washington Examiner reported his following topped 350,000 within days. His stop at Buc-ee's, the cathedral-sized travel center with the beaver mascot, left him amazed. Walmart, Taco Bell, and a 1 a.m. Waffle House run drew the same breathless excitement.
The reason for the trip was the FIFA World Cup, the largest sporting event on the planet, held this year for the first time across three host nations — the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Running from June into July across 16 cities, it drew fans from around the world. Freddy was just the one who fell hardest for the stops in between.
His relentless good cheer is what won people over. Reporters took to calling him the internet's favorite exchange student, and a retired pro football star put him up in Houston. He was not alone in his wonder, either — other European visitors shared the same delight, from a Swedish traveler marveling at ranch dressing to newcomers stumped by a soda machine offering a hundred combinations.
Rick Good spent ten years in the newspaper business, including with The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) and The Greenville News (Greenville, SC). He co-wrote, with Melinda Coleman, Rutledge to Riley: Governors of South Carolina, 1776–Present (Published by The Greenville News), and is the author of Mind Games Trivia #1 (Amazon). He has recently spent 15 years creating original trivia content through Sounds Good Mobile Entertainment and continues that with his new company, SGME Software. He edits The Smart Reader’s money, real estate, and business coverage.
