At Cape Verde academy, soccer talents dream big after World Cup debut

PRAIA: Thousands of flag-waving fans gathered in Cape Verde’s capital to welcome the returning national soccer team after their stunning debut World Cup performance, mobbing the players as they left the airport.
In downtown Praia, at one of the country’s most prestigious training academies, students as young as nine say it is just the start of their island nation’s transformation into a powerhouse of the sport.
From their opening group-stage draw against heavyweight Spain to their heartbreaking 3-2 knockout loss to defending champions Argentina, the “Blue Sharks” frustrated some of the world’s best strikers and showed off some scoring flair of their own, pushing Lionel Messi’s team into extra time.
Supporter Renato Ribeiro said he was overjoyed to see his team, representing a country ‌off West Africa ‌with a population of around 500,000 — the least populous ever to reach the ‌World ⁠Cup knockout rounds — ⁠defy the world’s low expectations.
“They only gave us a 1 percent chance, but I always said that 1 percent is a lot for us,” he told Reuters during a party at a fan zone on Sunday, where the players made an appearance.
“My greatest pride is to see that our national team will leave young people with more desire to play.”

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The inspirational nature of the Blue Sharks’ strong showing is already on display at Praia’s Bola Pra Frente — “Ball Forward” — Academy, which was founded in 2010 and quickly established itself as a top national development center.
“The future ⁠of football in Cape Verde, both women’s and men’s, is strong — it is ‌big,” said Silveria Nedio, the head coach at the academy and for ‌the women’s national team.
The academy was an early training ground for several players on