For 13-year-old Lauryn, seeing Cape Verde on the world stage at the World Cup is a source of immense pride. 'After the first match, everyone was talking about Cape Verde,' she says. 'People saw the talent and the skill of our players.' The tiny African island nation, with a population of just over 500,000, is making its debut at the tournament and has already held Spain to a 0-0 draw and Uruguay to a 2-2 draw.
The Cape Verdean diaspora in the UK, estimated to number in the low thousands, has been galvanised by the team's performances. Annabella Lopes of the Cape Verdean Association UK describes the Uruguay match as a 'constant heart attack'. The team's slogan, born from a 1% chance prediction before the Spain game, has become: 'They gave us 1% chance, but we had 99% faith.'
Goalkeeper Vozinha has become a global sensation, with his Instagram following soaring from hundreds of thousands to nearly 10 million. Nancy Rodrigues, an NHS physiotherapist who treated him in Angola, says: 'It's amazing because everyone knows Cape Verde through him.' The team now faces Saudi Arabia in their final group stage match; a win would secure a historic spot in the knockout rounds.
Lauryn's brother, Joylen, who plays for Chelsea's academy, says the team's success has inspired him: 'It makes me want to reach my highest level.' Their mother, Cristina, hopes the exposure extends beyond football: 'We are creative people. There is so much talent, not only in football but also in music, literature and the arts.'
For Lopes, the team's performance sends a powerful message: 'The fact that you are small, and the fact that people don't know you, doesn't mean you can't achieve great things.' She adds: 'The important thing is to take part. Cape Verde is taking part, Cape Verde is competing, Cape Verde is achieving, and Cape Verde is making history.'
