Argentina-Cape Verde’s World Cup Match Is The Best TV Show Of The Summer

Every World Cup needs a fairytale. This one features a 40-year-old goalkeeper from a second-division club, an island nation of half a million people and a date with the greatest player who ever lived. On Friday in Miami, Cape Verde will walk out at Miami Stadium to face Argentina, the reigning world champions, in a round of 32 tie the bookmakers have already filed under “formality.” Cape Verde is given a 4.8 percent chance. On paper, this isn’t a contest. But that’s the thing about Cape Verde. Nobody told them about the paper. Let’s start with the sheer scale of what these islands have already pulled off, because it belongs in the history books. Cape Verde is an archipelago off the west coast of Africa with a population of roughly 525,000. That makes it the smallest nation by population ever to reach the knockout stage of a men’s World Cup. Not the smallest this year, the smallest ever. Iceland (in 2018) and Curaçao couldn’t do it. The Blue Sharks, in their debut tournament, did it without losing a single game. They opened by holding Spain, one of the pre-tournament favorites, to a 0-0 draw. Then they went toe-to-toe with Uruguay in a 2-2 thriller with Kevin Pina and Hélio Varela scoring the first World Cup goals in the nation’s history. They closed with a goalless draw against Saudi Arabia to finish second in Group H, a point clear of two-time champions Uruguay. Three games, three draws, zero defeats and a place in the last 32 that nobody outside their dressing room saw coming. Coach Bubista said before the tournament that everyone is entitled to dream. His players took him at his word. And then there’s Vozinha. If you’ve been anywhere near the internet this month, you know the name. Josimar José Évora Dias, a 40-year-old goalkeeper who most recently played his club football for Chaves in the Portuguese second division, walked onto the pitch against Spain with about 50,000 Instagram followers and walked off a global phenomenon. Spain managed 27 shots, and Vozinha made seven saves, earning him the Man of the Match award. A clean sheet against Lamine Yamal and the might of Spain. By the next morning, his follower count had exploded into the millions, and it hasn’t stopped climbing since. It’s now north of 17 million, having sailed past the likes of Patrick Mahomes along the way. Not bad for a man whose nickname translates to “granny” in Portuguese. The story only gets better. Vozinha’s mother missed the Spain game because of a visa issue, then made it in time to watch her son shut out Saudi Arabia, waving a tiny Cape Verde flag from the stands. He’s spent the better part of two decades playing professionally across six countries, waiting his whole life for a stage this size. He has earned every single follower. Which brings us to the small matter of what’s waiting for him on Friday. Argentina is not merely the reigning World Cup champion. It is one of the most decorated football nations on the planet: three world titles, a record haul of Copa América trophies and a squad that has looked ruthlessly efficient in cruising through the group stage with three wins from three. Lionel Scaloni’s side sits second only to France in the tournament’s title odds, and it’s barely shifted out of second gear to get there. At the center of it, as ever, is Lionel Messi. At 39, in his sixth and surely final World Cup, Messi has done something this summer that once felt untouchable. He is now the all-time leading goalscorer in World Cup history with 19 goals, surpassing Germany legend Miroslav Klose (16) and Brazil women’s great Marta (17) — although France superstar Kylian Mbappé (18) is on his heels. Messi opened with a hat-trick against Algeria, added a brace to seize the record against Austria, then came off the bench to curl in a free-kick against Jordan, becoming the first man ever to score in seven consecutive World Cup matches. He is, somehow, sharper than ever at an age when most players have long since retired. So yes, this is about as lopsided as a knockout tie can get. The unlikeliest matchup of the round of 32: the greatest goalscorer the tournament has ever produced against a goalkeeper who was a second-division unknown three weeks ago. A nation of 46 million against an archipelago of half a million. Goliath arrives with the best player in history and no discernible weakness. David has “granny” in goal and absolutely nothing to lose. Cape Verde won’t be favored. It won’t be expected to keep it close. But it’s spent this entire tournament making a mockery of expectation, and if Vozinha conjures one more miracle in Miami, the internet may break for good. David has already made history just by getting here. On Friday, he picks up the slingshot one more time.