So Long to America’s Favorite Everymensch

Yesterday, Freddy woke up in a hotel room in downtown Boston that had been paid for by the celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay. Draped over one chair was an autographed chef’s coat and a personal note from the Hell’s Kitchen star: “Dear Freddy, Welcome to Boston!” For the past month, the German man who goes by @Freddy LA7 on X was on the ride of his life. Crisscrossing the United States on an epic World Cup road trip, the pseudonymous soccer fan posted about the beauty of big-box chain stores and gas stations, projecting an infectious enthusiasm for American mass culture. Along the way, he racked up hundreds of thousands of followers; met famous singers, wrestlers, and astronauts; and was showered with swag and free hotel stays.Then, within a span of 24 hours, Freddy’s American fever dream ended as abruptly as it began. On Monday night, he watched his home country fall to Paraguay in a stunning upset. “Oh no Freddy… ,” lamented JJ Watt, the former NFL star who had gifted him and his traveling companions a luxe hotel stay in Houston last month. Not everyone was as sympathetic. “Now that Germany is out, we can all admit Freddy is a fake account, right?” one user posted. Others suggested—either seriously or in jest—that Freddy was a CIA operative: “Back to Langley I’m afraid.” Last night, he deactivated his X account.No one has produced compelling evidence that Freddy was anything other than what he claimed. Yet something about him always seemed too good to be true. Behind the everymensch image was a skilled poster who knew which cultural signifiers would strike a chord with Americans. Behind each seemingly off-the-cuff post (“DUDE LMAO THIS IS A GAS STATION😭😭😭”) were careful choices about how to compose the shot for maximum virality. Atlanta, he observed, was “so green it’s crazy. It feels like you’re in a forest the whole time.” A Taco Bell, where he sampled an electric-blue soda and nacho cheese, was “the Holy land.” His starry-eyed enthusiasm held an obvious appeal: Her