Every four years, the bright, global spotlight of the World Cup can anoint new stars or bring new levels of fame to established ones. Those who have dazzled so far include Lionel Messi, Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappé — and, after her recent exploits, Shannon Manson, a grandmother from Los Angeles.
Hired to work security at the Hilton Hotel in San Jose, Calif., during the tournament, Ms. Manson has suddenly found herself a celebrity in the Middle East nation of Jordan, with fans of the country’s national team descending on the hotel to take photos with her at work.
Her rise to fame began on Sunday, a day before Jordan’s game against Algeria in Santa Clara, Calif. Ms. Manson was doing what she had been hired to do: protect the Jordanian team’s delegation from being mobbed by fans and well-wishers.
Dressed in a blue company-issued polo shirt and sharing an infectious laugh while in a tight hallway, she put her arms around a diminutive man in his 50s who was with the team and drew plenty of attention from onlookers. She shared a joke with him and ushered him away. It was all part of the job.
Little did she know that the small interaction would turn her into a viral sensation in the Middle East. Ms. Manson would later find out that the man was Ali bin Hussein, the president of Jordan’s soccer federation and — far more significantly — a prince and the brother of King Abdullah II of Jordan.
“You are going viral in Jordan, I’m telling you, every single news — you’re on it,” Ala Assaf, a Jordanian who had traveled to the game from Chicago, told Ms. Manson as he stopped her for selfie at the Hilton on Monday.
He was not the only one. All afternoon, fans of the Jordan team recognized Ms. Manson and made similar requests.
“I didn’t know he was a prince, but I feel real good,” Ms. Manson said in an interview in between the photo requests.
In a video clip that has been shared widely on social media, Ms. Manson trudges over to Prince Ali as a line of fans request selfies and autographs from him and says, “So you really want to do this today, right?” Prince Ali laughs and quips, “I’m doing it just on purpose, for you.” Ms. Manson then lets out a loud laugh, puts her arm around Prince Ali and then puts her cheeks to his as she guides him down the hall and away from the crowd.
“She kicked me out,” Prince Ali said with a laugh. Speaking in an interview Monday, the prince said that he and the team were headed for the team’s bus when it was mobbed by supporters and people seeking autographs. “She said, ‘Hey, it’s time to move,’ which was great.”
It was the latest example of how small, unexpected moments have enlivened the spirit of the World Cup in North America, alongside the spectacles of the matches themselves, with the tournament in the second week.
Ms. Manson said she learned just two weeks ago that she had been hired to work security at the hotel, but was not told who or what to expect. The Jordanian team is based in Portland, Ore., but stayed at the Hilton in San Jose for several days for its two games in San Francisco.
“Basically, they told us we were working here,” said Ms. Manson, whose grandchildren are soccer fans. “I just didn’t know I was going to be with the FIFA people like this.”
The moment is one Ms. Manson is eager to memorialize, and she is hoping to secure a copy of the original videos taken by fans. In the meantime, she and Prince Ali have become familiar enough to exchange pleasantries whenever their paths cross. “He’s the first prince I met,” she said.
Ms. Manson said that, should an invitation be forthcoming, she would certainly visit Jordan, which until the chance meeting with the soccer team at the World Cup, she knew very little about.
For now, she is carrying on keeping Prince Ali safe, and trying to meet demands from fans for her time.
“I need to go get lunch,” she said on Monday as another new fan approached.
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