Screengrab of video showing Malaga fans greeting a tourist at the airport as if they were the club's new player.
Credit: X/@thecasualultra
Fans of Spanish football club Malaga came up with an ingenious mock protest as they headed to the airport to greet a random tourist as if they were the club's next big-money signing, in order to protest the relative lack of transfers in the summer window.
A video doing the rounds on social media shows many fans celebrating, wearing the club's jersey and some even tooting horns. They chant and wave scarves as they surround the bemused man.
During the incident, one of the fans, wearing black clothes and donning sunglasses appears to act as the security, pushing away the Malaga fans who get too close to the purported star.
The fans rounded off the 'greeting' in a traditional way, by placing a football shirt with the jersey number 69 against his chest. They handed him a marker pen to sign it too, and the tourist appeared confused, looking at the person filming the video to see if the fans really wanted his signature.
The video then shows him proceeding to sign the shirt.
Malaga were relegated in the last season and will now play in the third tier of Spanish football.
Despite the protest, it should be noted that the Spanish club has actually signed ten players in the most recent window but they have been free transfers, as per Sport Bible.
Malaga has been through a rough patch, changing managers thrice in the last season. However, Malaga has had a rich history at one time, boasting players like Santi Cazorla, Isco and Ruud van Nistelrooy.
The viral video has drawn much appreciation from some quarters of football fans, with one commenting that this is "peak football culture".