A wave of support has poured in for the family of Manchester City supporter Guy Bradshaw, who tragically died in Spain just hours before he was due to watch his team play in the Champions League.
The 35-year-old, described by friends and relatives as “gentle, kind and caring,” had travelled to Spain to watch City’s match against Villarreal on Tuesday, October 21.
Bradshaw, from Wythenshawe, Manchester, had joined a group of fellow fans staying in Benidorm, around 130 miles from Villarreal’s Estadio de la Cerámica.
In the early hours of Tuesday morning, a friend discovered Bradshaw unresponsive in his apartment. Despite attempts to help, he was pronounced dead at the scene. His passing came as a deep shock to the Manchester City fan community, with tributes flooding in both online and in person.
Within a day, a GoFundMe page launched to support Bradshaw’s family raised nearly its £25,000 target. The page has been inundated with hundreds of messages from friends, supporters and strangers alike, many expressing condolences and sharing fond memories.
Among the contributors was an anonymous donor who gave £8,500 — a gesture that has deeply moved the grieving family.
Bradshaw’s cause of death has not yet been officially determined, but according to the Manchester Evening News, his family has been told that there are “no suspicious circumstances.”
“He deserves everything”: family and fans pay tribute
Guy’s father, Martin Bradshaw, 56, had been travelling to Spain to meet his son at the match when he received the devastating news. Heartbroken but supported by the outpouring of kindness, he spoke from Spain about the comfort he has drawn from the football community.
“A lot of people have bad words for social media,” he said, “but the lovely messages, lovely pictures, thousands of pictures I’ve seen are touching and gives me that comfort to cope while I’m here.”
Martin also expressed gratitude to Manchester City staff members who have reached out to offer personal assistance during what he described as an “unimaginably difficult time.”
“I’m also getting hands-on support from the staff at City, who have been extraordinary,” he continued. “I don’t know what I would have done without them turning up to help us at such a difficult time. We’re doing this for Guy because he deserves everything.”
Just hours before his death, Guy had shared a light-hearted video on social media with Campbell Hatton — the son of former boxing world champion Ricky Hatton — singing the famous chant “There’s only one Ricky Hatton.”
The clip has since been widely shared by friends in tribute to his cheerful spirit and passion for both Manchester City and local sporting heroes.
Bradshaw attended Parklands High School and Ringway Primary School, later establishing his own carpet cleaning business in Manchester. He leaves behind his 12-year-old daughter, Ava, as well as his parents, twin brother Kane, and younger brother Zak.
Manchester City community united in grief
Friends, relatives, and fellow supporters have been united in mourning, describing Guy as a devoted father and lifelong Manchester City fan who brought warmth and joy to those around him.
His cousin, speaking on behalf of the family, described him as “a gentle man who idolised his daughter and lived for City.”
“He was so well-known in Wythenshawe and by City fans,” she said. “He was really gentle, kind and caring. He was never in any trouble. He never had any enemies. He lived for City and his young daughter. He idolised her.”
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The family, still grappling with the sudden loss, said they are “completely shocked” by his passing. “We’re just completely shocked, as he was so young,” his cousin said. “He was a healthy lad. The whole family is just devastated.”
The trip to Spain, she added, was arranged at the last minute. In the rush to make travel plans, Bradshaw had not booked travel insurance — leaving his family to face significant costs to bring his body home to the UK.
The fundraising campaign, therefore, has taken on even greater importance, helping to ease the financial burden of repatriation and funeral arrangements.
