Cape Verde (population 530,000) drew with both World Cup finalists — Spain and Argentina — in regular time, though it went on to lose to Argentina. Before the unforgettable draw against Spain, Vozinha had about 50,000 Instagram followers. By the next morning, that number was closer to 10 million. As of today, he has 29.3 million.
“I have worked my whole life for this moment,” he said in his post-match interview. “I’m 40 years old. I started playing football professionally when I was 25, in 2012. I thought about leaving, but I continued because of this dream.”
He’s not the only new social media celebrity. China, whose team didn’t qualify for the tournament, ended up cheering for the only person representing the country at the World Cup — a referee. The referee, Ma Ning, amassed new followers on Weibo and Rednote, an Instagram-like platform in China, and now has sponsorship deals.
The pure elation of Mexico
Mexico, one of the tournament’s co-hosts, had its most successful World Cup in generations. The mood in the country? As one of The Athletic correspondents described it:
“Green shirts are beyond ubiquitous and not just on humans: There have been ducks in Mexico kits, dogs in Mexico kits, religious icons in Mexico kits. Somewhere out there, no doubt, is a Mexico kit with its own Mexico kit.”
But my favorite story about a Mexico jersey this year is about the one placed on a statue of baby Jesus at Mexico City’s 450-year-old Metropolitan Cathedral. Before every Mexico game, baby Jesus was put into his Size 0 jersey and placed on an ornate gold altar at the church, where people went to pray for, among other things, the team’s success.
