Mexican fans heading to the World Cup in Russia brought a cardboard cut-out of their friend with them after his wife banned him from attending the tournament.

The group of fans travelled from Mexico to Russia in a minivan and took the replica of their friend, named Javier, with them for the entire journey.

Since arriving in Russia, the cardboard Javier has become a social media sensation with many fans posting photos of themselves with the figure.

Some posted photos of themselves feeding cardboard Javier a beer while video footage showed Javier poking out the window of the mini bus as people waved.

A tweet posted by the Russian Embassy described Javier’s friends as the “real heroes” of the World Cup.

It read: “Fans can be real heroes at #WorldCup, too! These 4territory. (image: AilÃ©n Vega)

The hundred-plus families that comprise the Montanha-Mangabal community live on the banks of the TapajÃ³s River in the Brazilian Amazon. Descended from rubber tappers who settled this land a century and a half ago, the river-dependent people of Montanha-Mangabal have now called their current territory home for eight generations. The families of the Montanha-Mangabal community depend on the TapajÃ³s River and the rainforest around it for their subsistence livelihoods and this biologically rich, intact ecosystem, some of the best forest remaining in the region, is central to their cultural identity.

In 2006, the community gained federal recognition as the first “traditional riverine” community in Brazil. Despite this designation, the traditional lands of Montanha-Mangabal have continued to be threatened and encroached upon, especially from illegal loggers and