In the United States’ 2-1 loss to Belgium on Tuesday, goalkeeper Tim Howard recorded 16 saves, which is the most in a World Cup game in almost 50 years. Since this outstanding performance, Howard has gained instant stardom.
His fame has led to many people coming up with innovative ways of honoring his heroics.
A petition was sent to the White House requesting that Ronald Reagan National Airport be renamed Tim Howard National Airport.
Other people have taken to the Internet to describe their admiration for Howard.
Howard has been photocropped into a picture of Mount Rushmore. Other pictures illustrate Howard saving Bambi’s mother, Simba’s father in “The Lion King” and the Titanic. These images have been trending on Twitter with the hashtag #ThingsTimHowardCouldSave .
Another person took to Wikipedia and changed Howard’s page to give him the title of United States secretary of defense, reports The New York Times.
Howard and the entire U.S. team have won the admiration of President Barack Obama, who gave them a call to say how proud he was of the job they have done representing the country. He also touched on Howard’s newfound popularity.
“Tim, I don’t know how you’re going to survive the mobs when you come back home,” Obama said, reports USA Today. “You’re going to have to shave your beard so they don’t know who you are.”
After the events of this last week, Howard has truly become an American celebrity.