West Ham’s ‘Angel of Alkmaar’ who single-handedly fought off Dutch ultras is a dad-of-four

West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola and his wife have praised the intrepid fan who defended the Premier League team’s players’ families against a mob of Dutch hooligans last night.

Chris Knoll, also known as the ‘Angel of Alkmaar’, is a 58-year-old father of four who is recovering from hip replacement surgery, MailOnline can reveal.

He has been widely praised for putting himself in danger when hooded thugs attempted to storm the seating area where the players’ partners and children were sitting.

He refused to let the ‘ultras’ reach the terrified group – as worried West Ham players, including striker Michail Antonio, left the field following their win over AK Alkmaar.

On Friday afternoon, West Ham and France goalkeeper Areola called Knoll a ‘legend’, while his wife Marrion Areola Valette added that he was the ‘greatest hero’ on a historic night for the Hammers.

With a swollen left eye and red abrasions on his face, Chris told MailOnline: ‘I’m not a hero. I just did what I had to do. There was another man she fended off. I don’t like bullies and just had to try and stop them.

“I just thought attacking was the best form of defense. You could tell they were intent on causing trouble and I didn’t want them to get to those behind us.’

Chris, known to his friends as ‘Knollsy’, stood on top of a stairwell to prevent the Dutch hooligans from reaching other fans.

Footage of Chris battling at least half a dozen AK Alkmaar ultras has gone around the world. He was pictured afterwards with his shirt ripped, but still smiling.

He has been widely praised on social media for his heroic stance, comparing him to heroic figures of history and characters from ‘Games of Thrones’.

Chris, who has supported the East London club since he was a teenager, said he traveled to the semi-finals with his son-in-law and a close friend.

The match had gone off without a hitch until West Ham sealed victory to secure a place in the Europe Conference Final in the closing minutes. families of players.

Chris said: ‘We were in our seats and we just scored and I saw all the flares go off. It got a bit noisy.

“I saw them all congregate on the side of the pitch and then they broke through the barriers and headed for the first group of West Ham fans. I know what they were planning to do and wasn’t about to let it happen.

“It was pretty obvious what was going to happen because they were planning to come to us. It was the ultras, you could tell by what they were wearing. I just decided I wasn’t going to let them come up.

“I just thought the best form of defense would be to get to the top of the stairs where they came up and just stand there and try to stop them. I know it was out-of-bounds punches and I just did my best to stand there and take it.”

Footage shows Chris and another fan throwing punches as they were swarmed by the Ultras.

Chris said he was able to fend off at least four of the thugs, but two got behind him and received several blows to the face.

His left eye is badly bruised and red abrasions are clearly visible on the side of his face.

He said, “If you’ve seen the pictures, there are about five or six men in front of me and I’m kind of trying to fend them off.

“Somehow, I don’t know how, two got behind me, didn’t they. And while I’m dealing with the other guys, there’s this guy who just constantly pushes me in the side of my head. That’s what caused the bruised eye. It’s not too bad, but maybe I’ll go to the hospital and get it checked out.’

Chris’ actions were praised by other fans on social media for his heroism, despite being outnumbered.

Others have said that the club – or players so concerned they were trying to reach their families – should give him tickets to the final in the Czech capital Prague as a thank you for his heroism.

Speaking at his west London home, he said some comments on social media suggesting he is an ‘old school’ hooligan who was part of the notorious ICF (Inter City Firm) gang miss the mark.

“I’m not involved in any problems, just a regular season ticket holder who goes to every home game,” he said.

Pulling down his green West Ham club shorts to reveal a 10-inch scar on his right hip from his recent surgery, he joked: “I’m not much of a hooligan. I am in my late fifties and have just had hip replacement surgery. .’

Chris, an electrician, stayed overnight in a hotel in Amsterdam before flying back to his home to his wife Karen in West London.

He said she wasn’t surprised he had stood up to protect women and children.

“She knows how I am, and I don’t like bullies. My children are the same, they will always rise and be counted,” he said.

‘I’ve been a season ticket holder for about five years and I always go to the home games. I can’t go to the away games because it takes over your life, and I’m not sure the wife would be too happy because I have a job too.

“Apart from what happened at the end, it was a fantastic night and so happy to be in the final.”

Chris said he hasn’t been able to get tickets to the final for two weeks.

He said: ‘If I can get a ticket and a pair for the two who were in Amsterdam with me, I’ll be there to cheer on the Hammers.

“I would really like to be at the final. Hopefully it will go smoothly and we can just enjoy a fantastic match.’