Rotterdam has become the backdrop for a captivating football story. Six players from Cape Verde, who have energized the World Cup, originated from this city, located nearly 5,000 kilometers from their homeland. Five of them faced off against Argentina, the reigning champions, in a closely contested 3-2 match that left fans with mixed emotions.
Following last Saturday’s draw with Saudi Arabia, which secured Cape Verde’s spot in the last 32, the streets of Rotterdam erupted in celebration. Cars honked, flags waved from windows, and locals danced in jubilation. This city is affectionately referred to as the 10th island of Cape Verde, with diasporas from Curaçao and Morocco also lighting up the festivities throughout the tournament.
Approximately 25,000 Kriolu, as Cape Verdeans identify themselves, reside in the Netherlands’ second-largest city. Among them is Jeffry Fortes, the son of a dock worker, like many of his fellow countrymen. The spirited and lean 37-year-old currently plays right-back for the second-tier team Den Bosch and has accumulated over 400 appearances in the top two divisions of Dutch football.
His journey includes 26 caps for Cape Verde, though it came to an abrupt halt in 2023 due to a dispute with the football federation’s board. “I’m not going to speak badly about them,” he states. “I’m their biggest fan now.”
Fortes joins a throng of about 1,600 singing and dancing Cape Verdeans at Club Annabel, proudly wearing a blue shirt emblazoned with Amílcar Cabral’s image, a leader in Cape Verde’s fight for independence from Portugal.
“As a professional footballer it’s a disappointment to be on the sidelines,” he reflects. “But as a Cape Verdean, I’m prouder than ever. We can’t take this for granted. This is the biggest and best moment ever. No one in the world knew us. Now we’re in the spotlight.”
The expansive beer garden at the venue features an African drum band, dancers, and a plethora of small flags representing World Cup nations. For those gathered, it’s Vozinha’s world, and Lionel Messi merely inhabits it. The crowd cheers and applauds when a hydration break is announced. However, when Messi scores shortly after, a slight disappointment wafts over the vibrant Cape Verdean celebration.
When Deroy Duarte, born in Rotterdam, scores an equalizer, the atmosphere shifts from joy to disbelief. This exhilaration mingles in the air with the islands’ beloved drinks, grogue and pontche. Yet, when Lisandro Martínez regains the lead for Argentina, the emotional toll reflects the progress Cape Verde has made.
The excitement peaks when Sidny Lopes Cabral, hailing from the same city, deftly curls the ball past Emiliano Martínez from a challenging position. For a fleeting moment, silence envelops the crowd. Then Cabral races to embrace his girlfriend in the stands, while Fortes disappears into a throng of jubilant Blue Sharks, the team’s nickname. The intensity of this moment resonates like never before for their nation.
As Diney Borges restores Argentina’s lead with a header, frustration sweeps over Club Annabel. The smallest nation to reach the knockout stage of the World Cup feels disheartened to fall behind the world champions, yet Fortes openly expresses his pride. As the match concludes, the remaining fans, though exhausted, applaud beneath Rotterdam’s towering skyscrapers.
Fortes and a select group of friends were among the pioneers from this city to represent Cape Verde. Debuting in 2014, Fortes has faced notable opponents, including Senegal’s Sadio Mané during the Africa Cup of Nations and played in a friendly match against Portugal, featuring a young Bernardo Silva.
Fortes’s friend, Tony Varela, caught Cape Verde’s attention four years prior as the nation sought talent abroad. A former player for Sparta and current coach at PSV’s academy, he recalls the past. “For an away game in Africa, we’d sometimes fly all the way up to Europe and back down again, just to save on flights. Most of our players were playing in the islands’ own league. That has completely changed. Now they play in Europe. We have professional chefs, video analysts, everything.”
Although the term ‘legend’ has lost some of its weight, Jerzy Rocha Livramento bestows it upon Fortes and Varela without hesitation. Known as Jerr, he is a dreadlocked rapper in Broederliefde, one of the most successful Dutch hip-hop groups in recent years. “They brought us where we are now. Some had to buy their own plane tickets. They did it purely out of love for Cabo and we’re thankful for that.”
Jerr is also the brother and agent of Dailon Livramento, the striker whose four goals during qualifying propelled Cape Verde to their inaugural World Cup. Having been part of the Sparta and Utrecht academies, their father even caught the attention of Eusébio in Benfica’s youth system.
“In my head, I’m a footballer too,” Jerr admits. “I still have nightmares about the youth coaches at Utrecht telling me I needed to lose weight. I was never meant to be an artist; it just happened. But nothing has ever come close to this, seeing us here.”
This journey carries profound significance for Cape Verde. “Our parents came here in the 60s looking for a better life and the country they left is still lagging behind,” Jerr explains. “If you take on work there, you can’t even send an invoice by email. We all have families without proper doors and roofs on their houses.
“If you take on work there, you can’t even send an invoice by email. We all have families without proper doors and roofs on their houses. “Hopefully this brings more tourists, investors and prosperity. Not the players from Portugal or anywhere else, but the boys from Rotterdam made this happen. They gave something back after our parents left the country.”
After the emotional embraces, tears, and handshakes, Fortes makes his way home in the early hours. A pre-season friendly against a local amateur team awaits him in just 12 hours.
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