I’m here in Mexico City for the summer, and watching World Cup games with such a rabid fan base has been nothing short of spectacular. Every game is hyped. Every bar and restaurant has rows of TVs with the volume turned all the way up, and everyone’s having a blast drinking chelas (beer for the non-Spanish-speaking folks) while watching the intensity of it all. For group play, I’ve been watching from the comfort of my sofa. But after watching Mexico dominate in group play, I was determined to watch as many knockout games as possible at a packed bar to breathe the atmosphere.
And I’m so glad that I did.
About a half hour before Argentina-Cape Verde kicked off on Friday afternoon, I walked the streets and looked for a bar with comfortable seating and plenty of TVs. I found neither. The bars were already packed to the brim at that point, so I settled on a cocktail joint with one TV and watched while standing at the bar. I ordered Maker’s Mark neat and watched in amazement as everyone in that bar was rooting for Cape Verde. The defending World Cup champions be dammed. And it was easy to root for Cape Verde, the island nation some 400 miles off the west coast of Africa with a population of 590,000.
Cape Verde was among those making its World Cup debut after FIFA expanded the tournament from 32 to 48 teams. Not much was known about Cape Verde when it qualified for the tournament, except that it ranked 67th in the world coming into the World Cup. But by the time the tournament ended, Cape Verde endeared itself to the world with its grit and determination by nearly pulling off the impossible in the Round of 32.
Mexicans, Brazilians, and English fans gathered around the one TV rooting for Cape Verde to pull off the major upset. When Sidny Lopes Cabral tied the game in the 103rd minute, someone at the bar ordered a rally shot: tequila with a squeeze of lime.
The Blue Sharks pushed Lionel Messi and Argentina into extra time thanks to incredible equalizers to stay alive. And while Argentina ultimately escaped with a 3-2 win, there was no denying that Cape Verde deserved to be in the World Cup and earned worldwide stardom with a gutsy performance.
A star is born
In particular, Cape Verde goalkeeper Josimar José Évora Dias (better known simply as Vozinha) earned himself millions of fans, literally, after making a whopping seven saves against Argentina and holding powerhouse Spain to a scoreless draw and Uruguay to a 2-2 draw.
He entered the tournament with just over 50,000 followers on Instagram. By the time Cape Verde’s run ended, he had more Instagram followers than New York Yankees star Arron Judge (2 million), the U.S. men’s national team (2.6 million), McDonald’s (5.5 million), FIFA (7 million), Shohei Ohtani (10.7 million), and Tom Brady (15.4 million).
That’s right, Vozinha now commands a whopping 27.3 million followers on Instagram. Here’s hoping he can monetize the massive following with brand deals and more. And it looks like it’ll happen sooner rather than later. According to the BBC, a massive following like Vozinha’s could potentially command six-figure deals, as followers are “now a form of currency” in this digital age.
At this rate, it won’t be long before Cape Verde builds a statue of him.
A hero’s welcome
The team arrived home on Sunday and was treated to a hero’s welcome.
Photos from Getty Images show fans waving hundreds of flags as they waited at the airport to greet the team after the plane landed in the nation’s capital, Praia. Reports say thousands of fans lined the streets as the team waved to the crowd from a truck, which headed to a nearby beach for the homecoming celebration.
The homecoming had perfect timing: July 5 is also when the nation celebrates Independence Day. The team capped the day with a visit to the presidential palace, where President José Maria Neves reportedly exclaimed, “Argentina won, but Cape Verde triumphed.”
Indeed.
I saw at least one fan decked out in a Mexico jersey shedding a few tears while smiling and clapping at Cape Verde’s near upset. As I headed home, I snuck a peek at the Argentinian steakhouse across the street from my condo and overheard a fan tell his buddy in Spanish, “Ya mero nos mandaban a la casa,” as in “They almost sent us home.” I sensed they were relieved as much as they were happy about moving on to the Round of 16.
It’s the day after Mexico’s incredible run also ended at the hands of England at the Azteca. I walked the streets this morning, and the city wasn’t the least bit desolate. Bars and restaurants are still packed. At one point, I caught Spain-Portugal action without having to pull up a seat at a restaurant, because every place had the volume cranked to the max, meaning that despite walking to make an errand, I could hear the action with every step I took. If you ever get the chance to experience a global event like the World Cup at one of its host cities, I highly recommend you do. It’s unlike anything you’ll ever experience. And while, yes, everyone here in Mexico City was ride-or-die with El Tri, that didn’t deter them — or us, I should say — from rooting for other teams, like Colombia, Spain, Cape Verde, and yes, even the U.S.
It was a sight to see, and Cape Verde’s triumphant run is what the FIFA World Cup is all about. If you are traveling like me and missing the action I’m talking about, try Express VPN to keep yourself in the conversation. It’s a great tool when traveling abroad, especially if you’re addicted to your local channels.
