Qatar's 'wonton wrapper prince' big hit

Qatari teen Abdulrahman Fahad al-Thani has become a hit among Chinese fans as his dramatic facial expressions make people compare him to World Cup mascot La'eeb. CHINA DAILY

Without the men's national team to support this time around, Chinese soccer fans are rallying behind this year's FIFA World Cup mascot instead.

The official mascot for the event, which is currently taking place in Qatar, is La'eeb — a figure whose name means "super-skilled player" in Arabic. But Chinese fans have affectionately dubbed the mascot the "wonton wrapper" because of its resemblance to the dumpling-like food.

The positive attention directed toward the mascot has also made a Qatari youngster a social media sensation in China.

During the live broadcast of the opening match between Qatar and Ecuador, a young fan in the audience wearing a kaffiyeh, a traditional male headdress in the region, grabbed people's attention by making dramatic facial expressions showing his unhappiness about his team's performance. The Qatari team ultimately lost the match.

Chinese fans began posting screenshots of him next to La'eeb making the same poses and facial expressions, and he was dubbed the "wonton wrapper prince". People have also drawn cartoons of him and made his facial expressions into memes.

According to China Central Television, the teen is actually Abdulrahman Fahad al-Thani. Based on his family name, it's believed that the 16-year-old — who said Cristiano Ronaldo is his favorite player — could be a member of the Qatari royal family. During the interview, he also greeted the Chinese audience in Chinese.

On Thursday, Abdulrahman recorded a video expressing his gratitude for the love he has received from the Chinese people. It was posted on Chinese social media on Thursday.

"Hello, this is my message for all of my Chinese fans," he said in the video. "I'm here just to say thank you for all of your beautiful comments and all of your beautiful videos. I've seen all of them. Thank you so much, and you're more than welcome to come to Qatar. You can experience and watch this amazing event — the World Cup. Thank you."

Many people commented that he is welcome to visit China as well. Also, his response was one of the most discussed topics on Chinese social media on Friday.