Shanmugam praises Cape Verde for ‘capturing hearts’ after spirited World Cup run: ‘A small country. A big heart’
Coordinating Minister for National Security K. Shanmugam commended Cape Verde’s performance at the ongoing FIFA World Cup, saying that the small nation had “captured hearts with their play”.
In a Facebook post on July 4, Shanmugam said that he had not been following the tournament closely, but Cape Verde’s closely contested knockout match with Argentina caught his attention.
He described Cape Verde as a “small African island nation” with a population of about 530,000 and gross domestic product (GDP) of about US$3 billion (S$3.87 billion) — which he pointed out was significantly smaller than the market value of Singapore’s listed companies.
“They have captured hearts with their play,” the minister wrote.
The team drew with former World Cup winners Spain and Uruguay, and also held Saudi Arabia to a draw, to reach the knockout stages in its first World Cup appearance.
In the knockout round, the team faced reigning world champions Argentina, holding Lionel Messi’s team to a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes.
In extra time, they levelled the score with what Shanmugam described as a “superb goal” before losing in a narrow 3-2 defeat.
Shanmugam also commended Cape Verde’s goalkeeper, 40-year-old Vozinha, describing him as “brave, calm, outstanding”.
“Cape Verde are out. But they have left their mark on this World Cup. A small country. A big heart. An inspiring story,” he concluded.
‘They never give up’: Netizens in awe
Several netizens commended the team, describing their display as an “outstanding performance” and highlighting the players’ “remarkable quality”.
Some even remarked that they set a “blueprint” for other nations to follow.
“This team built with super high winning mentality… they just never give up,” one netizen applauded, while another agreed that they “left their mark”.
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