‘KEEP an eye out for me on TV,’ Shane Kingston joked to his house-mates before heading to the World Cup clash between Norway and Iraq in Boston.

The man from Bawnahow in Skibbereen had no idea how right he would be.

Hours later, wearing his Cork jersey among the Norway supporters, Kingston was spotted on television during Norway’s 4-1 win. It sparked an online hunt to identify the mystery Rebel fan at the World Cup.

But while social media was trying to solve the mystery, Kingston was completely oblivious.

‘My phone ran out of battery straight after the game,’ he tells The Southern Star.

‘With traffic it took about three hours before I got back to recharge my phone, so I hadn’t seen any of the stuff on social media.

‘My house-mates said they saw me on TV and I was fully sure they were taking the mick. I didn’t believe them. But they showed me on their phone – and it was me alright!

‘I thought it was a bit interesting but it kept getting bigger and bigger, interviews with radio stations and news articles!’

Shane cheering on Norway!

Kingston’s new-found fame caught him by surprise, with the Tadhg MacCarthaigh goalkeeper making headlines back home after being spotted at a World Cup game in Boston.

‘It’s a bit random!’ he laughs, getting more than he bargained for when he bought a ticket for the game just the day before.

‘When I knew I was coming here for the summer on a J-1, I was looking out for tickets to the World Cup games that are on here in Boston,’ the UCC physics student says.

‘Some of the prices were a bit mental, but Norway v Iraq was definitely the most affordable. I was watching the prices and only decided the Monday before to buy a ticket because the seats were pretty good.’

The ticket set him back $345 – a small price to pay for the headlines that followed!

He shared a taxi to and from the stadium with two more Cork men, Shane O’Brien (Douglas) and Michael Hoare (Glounthaune).

‘We were outside the stadium three hours before the game, there was a great buzz with both sets of fans,’ he says.

Kingston’s seat was right behind the goal that Norway were attacking in the first half. In the right place at the right time, he captured Erling Haaland’s first-ever World Cup goal on his phone.

‘I was happy enough to get that on camera,’ he adds.

‘I was delighted to be in the Norway fans, I knew they’d be good craic. It’s their first World Cup in 28 years.

‘As an experience, it was brilliant.’

Norwegian superstar Erling Haaland.

Working in Blackmoor Bar & Kitchen in the heart of Charlestown, Kingston has seen World Cup fever take over Boston.

Scotland fans tested the supply lines in most pubs, he laughs.

Living just five minutes away from where the French team is staying, he is soaking in as much of the World Cup as he can.

His moment in the spotlight comes just weeks after younger brother Niall (20) also made headlines when he was picked to literally shoulder Kingfishr frontman Eddie Keogh during a rendition of Killeagh at Virgin Media Park.

‘It’s funny timing alright.’

From Cork to Boston, the Kingston brothers are in the headlines.