The England superfan with tattoos from every away trip
Ian Odgers said he had travelled to more than 20 countries while following the England team - and will be on the terraces on Saturday
- Published
A football superfan tattooed with passport stamps from attending England away games said he was "always the optimist" ahead of travelling to Germany on Saturday.
Ian Odgers, 56, from Dereham, Norfolk, said he had not missed a national home game in 14 years or an away friendly or qualifier match in more than a decade.
The production planner's dedication to supporting England has propelled him into the FA's highest tier of fans, a group known as the "top cappers", who can mostly get guaranteed tickets.
"We describe ourselves as the 'same old faces, different places'," Mr Odgers said while preparing to cheer on the team in Dusseldorf for the Euros quarter-final.
Mr Odgers has documented his travels to support England with tattoos of his passport stamps, along with ones gathered on family holidays
"There is always a shared respect of everyone doing the same thing as you," he said.
"Coming from different parts of the country, taking different routes across Europe to ultimately do the one thing we love - which is supporting the country."
Mr Odgers, who works in Thetford, said Saturday's match would be his fourth international trip of the tournament - with the mood noticeably different so far.
"There's a negative vibe on the terraces," he said.
"All of the England fans are just waiting for something to click, but I'm always the optimist."
His hopeful outlook has been cemented by the fact that he has already booked all his flights and accommodation for England's potential whole championship run.
The grandfather, who has six children between himself and wife Ria, said he had spent hours meticulously planning his travel and annual leave from work once the fixtures were announced.
To keep costs down he flies the cheapest routes on budget airlines, arriving at destinations miles from busy stadiums before catching buses and trains before returning the next day - sometimes going straight to work from the airport.
The keen traveller, who has visited almost 70 countries and has set up an aid charity for refugees and people in need, said he enjoyed planning the logistics of getting to and from matches and mostly stayed in cheap accommodation including with local families.
Mr Odgers and his wife Ria have travelled around the world, although she no longer joins him on his football trips
Mr Odgers' passion for England was ignited when he attended his first game at the age of 12, before making it his life's ambition to follow the side.
He estimated he had travelled to more than 20 countries as a supporter at about 60 matches overseas - and started documenting his football trips with a series of tattoos about five years ago.
However, he admitted it was getting harder to follow the team around.
"It's a combination of planes, trains and automobiles," said Mr Odgers.
"The energy side is taking its toll - I'm often asking people what day of the week it is.
"I'm not the same youthful man I was 20 years ago... but any England fan will tell you, it's the best hobby in the world."
And as for the tattoos, Mr Odgers said if England managed a place in the Euros final, he would duly replicate the German passport stamp to celebrate the trip to Berlin.
The grandfather-of-six said his tattoos had attracted a lot of attention from fellow fans
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