In the latest instance of social media star meeting a popular footballer, we have Nottingham Forest‘s Jesse Lingard crossing paths with train spotting sensation Francis Bourgeois.
To everyone’s surprise, his interaction with the eccentric YouTuber turned out to be a wholesome one.
And it looks like Lingard has a penchant for bringing out smiles, as his conversation with Bourgeois was also similarly heartwarming.
Firstly, a bit of background on the train spotter for those out of the loop.
The 22-year-old became TikTok famous through his passion for locomotives, and eventually became the platform’s very own ‘Train Guy’.
Viewers gravitated towards his enthusiasm, and Francis’ stock continued on an upward trajectory. His rise to the top has included a modeling gig with Gucci and North Face, and now, Bourgeois has his very own show on Channel 4.
In it, Francis takes along celebrities for one of his trainspotting adventures, with Lingard being the guest in the episode in discussion.
The collaboration was exactly as unusual as you might’ve guessed, and this was apparent from their very first interaction.
While Lingard strolled up to the site in a relatively toned-down drip, Bourgeois wore a train conductor’s outfit, a pretty straightforward mismatch.
But what followed was the creation of an unlikely bromance, with the duo even sharing a poignant moment.
It occurred in the latter half of the video, as the duo entered a more secluded carriage in a train packed with locomotive aficionados such as Francis.
In the conversation that followed, the 22-year-old shared some heartfelt words on the vitriol he receives from his own community, “I’ve gone in here a bit because I’m well aware that there’s people in there that really don’t like me. It’s something I find quite weird to think that in my own community are people that don’t like me the most.”
In response, Lingard asks if he cares about that.
Francis follows up by saying, “I like to make everyone feel good so it’s a bit sort of disheartening sometimes. People just think I’m faking my enthusiasm.”
After listening to the 22-year-old’s admission, Lingard offered a comforting reply, “But that’s just you being you though. That’s how you are, that’s you.”
Fortunately, things changed for the better as the duo migrated to a far more positive part of the train.
Its passengers included fans of the train spotter, and the relief on his face was just wonderful to see.
Francis continued to pour his heart out, saying “When I get stressed my heart hurts, and it was hurting my heart being there (previous carriage), with loads of people looking at me and I know they don’t like me.”
The former Manchester United player went on to remind Francis of his impact and the positivity he imparts to people, by talking about the messages the train spotter has received.
His words worked like a charm, with Francis himself saying “I was so touched by how supportive Jesse was, and it made me feel much better.”
The episode then ended on a lovely note, as passengers happily waved goodbye to the ‘Train Guy’, which left him emotional and teary-eyed. Lingard then chimed in with a perfectly cued “I told you, they love you mate!”.
Despite tears flowing down his face, Francis’ joy was evident, Lingard’s compassion had clearly made his day.
Fans online were filled with praise for England International, and so was Francis, who not only received a great evening but also some very valuable advice.
