Footballer wants Mongolia to Manchester United ride to inspire

A Mongolian footballer who is cycling from his home to the UK to see Manchester United play has said the trip is about living "without regrets".

Ochirvaani Batbold set off from Ulaanbaatar in May and is about a third of the way through his 5,730-mile (9,222km) bike ride to Old Trafford.

The player, who has appeared in the Mongolian Premier League, said he hoped to reach the stadium by December.

The club said it wished him the "best of luck" on the rest of his trip.

Batbold said he set off from the Mongolian capital on 5 May and had already travelled more than 1,864 miles (3,000km).

He has already travelled through China and into Kazakhstan and said the "best bit" so far had been the road to Sayram Lake in Xinjiang, China.

However, he said there had also been difficult moments.

"There were many difficult days with cold, snow and rain, and now very hot days are continuing," he said.

"The hardest day was a snowstorm, but I've seen very beautiful places [and] also met so many good people. I feel so good about everything."

He said he will go on to journey through Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Turkey, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Serbia, Hungary, Austria, Germany and France before finally arriving in the UK.

"I will end my story at Old Trafford for my first time," he said.

"I want to create beautiful memories that I will never forget."

Batbold said his journey was inspired by his love of the Red Devils and a scam which saw his football dreams almost crushed by a hoaxer offering a non-existent trial with Major League Soccer side LA Galaxy in the US.

The footballer, who recently helped Tuv Buganuud FC win the Mongolia Cup and has also played for Bayangol FC and Ulaanbaatar City, told BBC News in 2014 that his dream was "to become a professional football player and play at Old Trafford".

He said when he was contacted by the scammer, he had been "thinking about becoming a professional footballer" and was "very confident".

"When the fake agent contacted me, I thought I had a chance," he said.

"He offered me the opportunity to become a professional footballer [and] I didn't want to miss an opportunity."

He said the scammer eventually took £3,000 from him and his family, which put them on the brink of financial ruin.

"My parents trusted me and gave me the money I needed... but it all ended horribly," he said.

He said he had almost been "too scared to tell my family bad news", but when he did say something, his relatives told him to stay strong and as his story began to circulate, "many kind people" donated money to help them.

He said that outpouring of support inspired him to do something daring and achieve another of his lifelong dreams.

"I thought about everything again," he said.

"I promised myself that I would make my dreams come true, not just for myself, but for those who trusted me and always supported me."

He said he had a love of "adventure and Manchester United" and wanted to "do something that inspires others a lot" and prove that he could "live without regrets".

"So I decided to cycle to Old Trafford," he said.

He said he had been a United fan since 2010 when he saw the side's win over Liverpool, a game which included a famous hat-trick from Bulgarian striker Dimitar Berbatov and a fine performance by the man who would become Batbold's favourite player, Wayne Rooney.

He said from that day, he "supported Man United and especially Wayne Rooney".

"Wazza was such a powerful player," he said.

"I loved his game style."

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