Sunderland 'Til I Die taxi driver set to fly to South America after becoming a huge hit with Argentinian football fans

Station Taxis driver Peter Farrer’s down-to-earth charisma has made him one of the stand out stars of Sunderland Til’ I Die on Netflix.

His appearances in both series of the docu-series, which follows the highs and lows of SAFC and its fans, have made him a recognisable face on Wearside – but he’s also captured the imagination of football fans 7,000 miles away in Argentina.

His passion for his home club has made him a big hit with fans of River Plate, one of Argentina’s biggest football cubs. So much so, that club president Rodolfo D'Onofrio has been in regular contact with Peter and wants to fly him over for a game at the El Monumental stadium when football and travel resumes after lockdown.

Peter, who’s been sent various strips and club merchandise from the team to his house in Hendon, says he’s overwhelmed by the response.

“It’s just crackers, you couldn’t make it up,” said the 64-year-old granddad.

Speaking about how the club got in contact, Peter, who is dad to Peter and Mark, said: “I’m not on Facebook or Twitter but my son Peter is and he has the same name as me so they found him on that.

“He messaged me at 7am on a Sunday morning and said a man called Sebastian from River Plate had been in touch to say they’ve fallen in love with the club, they’ve fallen in love with Sunderland, and they’ve fallen in love with me. River Plate is like Man United over there so I couldn’t believe it.”

It’s led to a friendship with Peter and the club, who he’s in regular contact with, as well as interviews with sports journalists and Fox News in Argentina. He’s even been sent a video message from Matias Patanian, the former vice-president of River Plate, telling him how popular he and Sunderland is in Argentina.

“I think they have fallen in love with our passion and how genuine we are. We’re an honest, working class city and it’s struck a chord over there,” explained Peter, who lives with wife Marie.

Although it’s unclear whether there’ll be a third series of Sunderland ‘Til I Die, the first and second series proved popular on Netflix and has been seen by millions around the globe.

Production company Fulwell73 film Peter for his pre-match pints and as he drives around his home city in his taxi.

“I’m just a normal bloke, I’m not an actor,” said Peter. “I don’t have to think about what I say on the show, I just say it. I’m certainly not shy.”

He added: “I get recognised a lot in Sunderland, especially when I’m picking fares up in the city centre on a Saturday night. But I’ve even been recognised by a Met Police officer in Wembley and by a bloke from Andorra. It’s mental, but I’ve never had any criticism, everyone’s been nice.”

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