Six hundred thousand dreamers, one World Cup sensation

After the brutal 120-minute battle between Argentina and Cape Verde, which almost took defending champions to the brink of World Cup elimination, Lionel Messi shook hands with Vozinha.

- Rituraj Borkakoty

The 40-year-old goalkeeper, already one of the biggest heroes of the tournament with epic saves after epic saves, later revealed what Messi told him during the handshake.

“He said, ‘You are a great goalkeeper. You people should be proud of you’.”

Several Cape Verde players were seen taking pictures with Messi in the dressing room as well — less than an hour after kicking him hard to try and stop the magician from weaving his magic.

Messi, by his standards, had a quiet game. His first goal was sublime, a mix of exquisite control and crisp finish in tight space, after a delightful long ball from Lisandro Martinez.

But the 39-year-old, just like the rest of his teammates, was stunned by the stirring fightback from Cape Verde, who were defending as though they were fighting for their lives and attacking the Argentine backline with ruthless precision.

Having fought back twice after Argentine goals, the South Americans eventually prevailed 3-2, barely by the skin of their teeth, to reach the last 16.

But it was Cape Verde which has become the Cinderella Story of the 2026 World Cup.

A nation of less than 600,000 people, Cape Verde went toe-to-toe with Argentina, Spain and Uruguay, teams that share six World Cup titles between them.