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When Cape Verde Locked out of Saudi Arabia, one of the world’s richest leagues, and winners of Argentina at the last World Cup, the hurricane-plagued small island nation was still unsure of progressing to the knockouts. Their fate depended on the Uruguay-Spain match. After shaking hands with the Saudi players, they wandered around looking for their messenger of hope. Finally, the news arrived: Spain beat Uruguay. Smallest nation to reach the knockout stages of a World Cup.
Midfielder Deroy Duarte told reporters he wanted to cry. “Everybody was just waiting and praying,” he said. “We deserved it a lot, because we gave everything. There was a lot of tension. The joy that came out is something I’ve never felt before and I hope to feel it again.”
Soon he joined his colleagues in a full-on party. Manager Pedro Leitao Brito, known as Bubista, erupted, waving a giant Cape Verde flag. Some of his players wore the flag as a cape. Forward Gary Rodriguez wore a mask resembling the team’s nickname, the blue shark. Players sang and danced, inviting fans to join in the fun.
Bubista then wrapped himself in a flag and walked into the press conference room with a big smile. Told that Cape Verde were the smallest country ever to reach the knockout stages of a World Cup, he said: “It’s us? I didn’t know that.” Then came the answer. “We have become an example that even small countries can achieve big goals if they have focus, determination and work with organization. We have shown that nothing is impossible. We have represented our country but we have also represented small countries in Africa and around the world.”
The archipelago covers 4,033 square kilometers, half the size of New Jersey. It has a population of 530,000. Houston, the Texas city where they marked this achievement, alone has 4.15 million residents. Most of the team’s players were born in Rotterdam, their capital city. Their 26-member squad plays in leagues across 14 countries.
To appreciate its enormity, consider who didn’t make it. From their own group, two-time champions Uruguay managed by Marcelo Bielsa were eliminated. Like Turkey, Czechia and New Zealand, all with great resources and deep heritage. Scotland, who gave football to the world, is now on the brink. Before the tournament, hardly anyone could name the five players from Cape Verde. Now they have the most beloved goalkeeper of the World Cup in Vozinha.
The mood in camp before the tournament was set by Delon Livramento. “Let’s have some fun. We made it to the World Cup, it’s time to have some fun together.” They did. And they played serious football along the way. Three draws against teams more adept in resources and personnel. Preventing Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams from scoring is no accident of luck. It is the defensive organization and the heart that refuses to stop.
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Ahead of the Saudi game, Vozinha told reporters not to underestimate him. “We come from a small country,” he said, “but we knew we would come here to compete. There is a lot of quality in our national team. Many of you may have thought that the Cape Verdean players do not have much quality, but we have shown that we are here to compete.”
Then there is the defending champion Argentina. Many Cape Verdean players will be dazzled by the aura of Lionel Messi. But Bubista vowed to fight like him. “First of all we are proud to play Argentina. It is a country with which we have a long-term relationship. But above all, whoever our opponent is, we want to do things according to our identity. We will play our game with attitude and responsibility, knowing that Argentina has the best players in the world and Messi, who has been the best for a while.”
Whether they shock Argentina or not, they will fight. They are a resilient people by nature, battered by cyclones, long struggles for independence, fickle climates and the pains of a developing nation. They won’t end up surprising anyone.