Every four years, star players find new club teams after excelling on the world’s biggest stage: the FIFA World Cup. This year, that group includes Dave the cat.
Dave, a hungry stray cat, met members of the English national team during its stay at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. He joined the Three Lions during meals, becoming the team’s unofficial mascot, according to the BBC.
“The first day we got there, we’ve got, like, a little table around the corner,” defender John Stones said. “Next minute, Dave pops out. Then every night he’s there, sat waiting for his food.”
Stones (who named Dave) and fellow defender Kyle Walker became the biggest “Big Dave” devotees, and the cat quickly gained fame, so much so that a reporter asked Walker about him during a news conference.
“He’s doing well, and hopefully I can stick to my promise where I said that he would come home with us if we [were] to win the World Cup,” he said.
Welp, that won’t happen after England lost to France in the quarterfinals, but luckily Dave is still on his way to England. He’ll get to reunite with Walker and Stones, who play for the same club, Manchester City. (Maybe he’ll get to meet Larry eventually.)
The BBC reports Dave left Qatar about two hours after the team did. He’ll visit a vet—getting some vaccinations and blood tests—and remain in quarantine for four months before heading to his new home. Thanks, Dave, for being a bright spot during, minus a few exceptions, a bleak and tragic event.
