I swapped shirts with World Cup player who watches my YouTube channel

Gav Murphy became friends online with New Zealand star Kosta Barbarouses [Gav Murphy]A Welsh content creator met and swapped shirts with a World Cup player who had become a fan of his YouTube channel.

>Gav Murphy, who now lives in Los Angeles, was in the crowd for the Group G game between Iran and New Zealand, which ended in a 2-2 draw.

>He got tickets for the match through an online friendship with New Zealand player Kosta Barbarouses, who he was delighted to meet at the Los Angeles Stadium.

>And Murphy was pleased to present the winger with a replica Wales shirt from the 1990s.

Murphy gave the New Zealand international one of his favourite Wales shirts [Gav Murphy]"He's been watching my YouTube channel for about 10 years. He scored the goal that got New Zealand into the World Cup," he said.

>"I saw him a couple of years ago on my Instagram, and we were sending messages back and forth.

>"And he said 'if Wales qualifies, we'll be in the same area at the same time, and I can sort you out with tickets'.

>"When we didn't make it, he didn't think I would come - 'well you obviously don't know me because I am still coming,' I said."

>Murphy, who presents and produces podcasts, added: "It was bonkers at the end. He ran all the way to the changing rooms to bring his shirt back to me, and we swapped shirts.

>"I took one of my favourite Wales shirts, so now there's a striker in New Zealand squad with a Wales Umbro shirt from the 90s.

>"My girlfriend turned to me and said 'what's going on?'

>"She's only been to one football match before - Leyton Orient v Bolton Wanderers and now Iran v New Zealand. She asked 'is this what football's always like?'"

Iran and New Zealand fought out an entertaining 2-2 draw in the Group G fixture [EPA/Shutterstock]The match was notable for Iran's involvement, with the backdrop of the nation's conflict with the United States.

>With visa problems for some of the squad's staff, and the training camp having to move to Mexico at short notice, there was even some doubt whether Iran would be allowed to play at all.

>But Murphy said the atmosphere in and around the 70,000-seater stadium was positive.

>"A large community of Iranians had set up near the stadium, cooking food, watching the game on big screens, and music playing - it was like a protest, but people were having a good time," he said.

>"But it felt like something other than sport was going on there.

>"In the stadium it was bonkers - it was about 10% New Zealand and 90% Iran. The support for Iran in the stadium was incredible, and the stadium there is insane. The count at the end was 70,000 fans but it felt like 100,000."

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