This made me fizzy on the inside

Every four years, I turn into a rabid soccer fan, fuelled by impossible hopes and just enough knowledge to yell at the TV with complete confidence. That is the strange magic of the World Cup.

But then, amid all the noise, came one of those moments that united the world and made my heart go all fizzy.

Cape Verde, one of the smallest nations ever to qualify, opened against Spain, one of the favourites. For 90 unforgettable minutes, their goalkeeper Vozinha stood between his tiny island nation and a thrashing. In a giant twist no one saw coming, he made his team unbeatable with 7 saves. And somehow, Cape Verde held Spain to a historic draw.

When the final whistle blew, Vozinha hunched over near his goal and wept, before being swallowed up by his teammates.

That was the bit that got me.

Not the Instagram explosion, though his following has now sailed past 10 million. Not even the Man of the Match award. It was watching a man who had spent nearly two decades doing the invisible work in obscure leagues around the world, standing in the middle of the world’s biggest stage, overwhelmed by what had just happened.

And then came the detail that undid everyone.

Vozinha shared, ‘I grew up with my grandparents, and, unfortunately, they were not here; they died a few years before, and they did everything for me and my life.‘ And his mum couldn’t get the visa money together in time to watch her son stop the world.

Following his heartfelt words, fans are already raising funds to help his mum with travel costs.

Sometimes, when the world feels like it’s going to hell in a handbasket, a story like this gives you hope.