Cape Verde’s national soccer team returned home to a heroes’ welcome after completing a historic first appearance at the World Cup.
Tens of thousands of supporters gathered in the capital city of Praia on Sunday to celebrate the Blue Sharks after their run ended with a thrilling loss to defending champion Argentina.
Fans transformed the airport grounds into a celebration, banging drums, dancing, chanting and waving Cape Verde’s national flag as the players arrived. The team’s homecoming also coincided with the country’s Independence Day, marking 51 years since the end of Portuguese colonial rule.
Cape Verde entered the tournament as the second-smallest country ever to compete in a World Cup and ranked No. 67 in the world. The Blue Sharks left after going toe-to-toe with some of the sport’s biggest teams.
Cape Verde Players Return Home to Thousands of Celebrating Fans
Goalkeeper Josimar José Évora Dias, better known as Vozinha, was among the players who received the biggest reactions from the crowd.
“It is a very great moment for us to be here with our people,” Vozinha told the BBC.
“We wanted something bigger but we didn’t go to the next stage. Now we just enjoy the moment and celebrate with our people.”
Supporters screamed the goalkeeper’s name as he arrived wearing a white T-shirt with Cape Verde printed across the front. Fans also celebrated other stars from the historic team, including center-back Pico Lopes.
The players took time to sign supporters’ soccer shirts during the celebration.
One fan told the BBC she attended the homecoming to show her gratitude to the team after its performances against much larger soccer nations.
Cape Verde had never previously qualified for the World Cup, but three draws in the group stage helped the team advance. The Blue Sharks opened the tournament by holding European champion Spain to a 0-0 draw and also qualified ahead of Uruguay and Saudi Arabia.
That run set up a monumental matchup with Argentina in the round of 32.
Cape Verde Pushed Argentina Deep Into Extra Time
Cape Verde’s World Cup journey ended against Lionel Messi and Argentina, but the defending champions needed extra time to eliminate the tournament newcomers.
Messi opened the scoring in the 29th minute with his 20th World Cup goal. Cape Verde refused to go away and twice fought back to tie the match during regulation.
The Blue Sharks then pushed Argentina deep into extra time before conceding the deciding third goal in the 111th minute.
“We played against the current world champion and today, playing on equal terms and also having the opportunity to win the game… for us, we have to be very, very satisfied and proud,” Vozinha said.
“Obviously we are sad, we didn’t want our run to end here, but I am very grateful for everything. I want to thank all my teammates, everyone, the coaching staff, the federation, and all the fans who made a huge effort to come here and support us.”
Vozinha emerged as one of the biggest stories of Cape Verde’s run. The goalkeeper made 18 saves across four matches and produced several key stops against Argentina to keep his team in the game.
He finished the tournament with a 78.3% save percentage from 74 shots faced.
Lionel Messi Shared Special Message With Cape Verde’s World Cup Hero
Vozinha also left the tournament with a special memory from his meeting with Messi.
The goalkeeper told La Tercera that he approached the Argentina captain after the match.
“I went up to Messi after the game. He hugged me and said: ‘You are great. Your people should be proud of you.’ That was incredible for me. Hearing words like that from someone like Leo Messi means a lot to me,” Vozinha said.
The exchange continued when the Cape Verde goalkeeper asked Messi for a keepsake.
“I thanked him and said, Thank you, Leo. You are the best. Then I asked if we could swap shirts. Leo said he would give it to me in the tunnels after the interview,” Vozinha said.
The moment capped a tournament that introduced Cape Verde and several of its players to a global audience.
Vozinha said the Blue Sharks can now build on their historic run.
“And now it’s time to look to the future and see that good things are ahead for us,” he said. “We have a fantastic group, players with a lot of quality, and who knows, hopefully we will see these young guys, these players, playing in the best leagues in the world.”
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