FOOTBALL FOLKLORE REWRITTEN

World Cup Fairytale Infantino’s Cinderella Moment

Dream Believers; Population 500, 026

Now I can’t say I was around the last time a nation repeated as World Cup Champions. Well, I was sort of when on 17 June 1962 at Santiago’s Estadio Nacional Brasil repeated as World Cup Champions. Only the second nation to do so since Uruguay hosted the inaugural World Cup in 1930.

Nor was I around at the previous World Cup when Marrakesh born Louis Fontaine smashed 13 goals into the old onion bag in 6 matches for France at Sweden 1958.  Beat that Little Leo.

Then there’s one of the many times throughout my football Tele watching self I was completely captivated and mesmerised. Mexico 1970 the occasion, when Jair Ventura Filho [he sounds like a Star Wars Character] better known of course as Jairzinho went out of this Galaxy to tally in every single match for Brasil. En route to their 3^rd Jules Rimet Trophy. No one’s come close since.  Paying attention here Lionel?

Finally let me take you back to Belo Horizonte in 1950. The occasion? Group Stage encounter between the English and the football impoverished; USA. Incredibly and against the almightiest of odds;  the USA prevailed 1-0. 

Such was the complete and utter shock, when the telegram of the result was received by the BBC back in London the news reader told the nation England had won 10-1. Mistakenly believing the telegram had somehow omitted a 1 on its journey over from Brasil. Fake News was born.

All this pales into utter insignificance with what Cape Verde has undoubtedly achieved. Joining Canada in the knock-out stages. There’s been nothing like it in World Cup History. Nothing comes close.

Cape Verde isn’t even a proper nation in the true, legal sense of the word. 

It is an Archipelago made up 13 remote islands drifting in the Atlantic off the coast of Africa. With a combined population of just over half a million

Putting that into perspective it’s like Newfoundland first making it to a World Cup. Then progressing out of the Group Stage.

Could you imagine?

Now imagine this standing in Cape Verde’s way for a Round of 16 Berth is Argentina. To be played in Miami; the adopted home of Messi.

I’m off back to bed, as Cape Verde are sleep walking into the annals of global sporting history

Beat Argentina and by Easter next year that 500,000 odd population will be measured in 7 figures. 

Cheers

@NoelPButler / info@orangesathalftime.net