‘Seeing it in person here is very emotional’

Max de Oliveira was a long way from home, and yet he had never been closer to the prize that represents the dream of every young Brazilian.

The grand prize of men’s soccer arrived in Winnipeg on Monday as a part of the FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour, and de Oliveria, who moved from Brazil to Winnipeg earlier this year, was one of hundreds of local fútbol fans who gathered at Memorial Park for a look.

Perhaps no one wore their emotions like de Oliveira. A large, toothy smile never left his face, while his bright yellow jersey left no doubt about where his loyalties lay.

“It’s big emotion, because when you’re a kid in Brazil, you grow up watching soccer on the TV and seeing the World Cup. Seeing it in person here is very emotional for him,” said de Oliveira’s wife, Taisa, who translated from Portuguese.

At 14 1/2 inches tall and a little over 13 pounds — with most of its mass made up of 18-karat gold — the FIFA World Cup trophy isn’t the biggest piece of hardware, but it is certainly one of the most coveted in sports. Its distinct design depicts two human figures holding the Earth above them, symbolizing triumph and unity.

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In two months, the trophy monikered “Victory” in its earliest iteration will be the end-all and be-all of 48 countries when the World Cup begins in Canada, U.S. and Mexico on June 11.

Winnipeg represented the end of the first half of the trophy’s Canadian tour. It will make its way south of the border, beginning in Chicago, for a month before returning for stops in Montreal, Halifax, Ottawa and Toronto.

The trophy will wind its way through 38 total stops in Canada and the United States before heading to Mexico City for the opening match of the World Cup.

Canadian soccer legends and Olympic medallists Desiree Scott, a Winnipegger, and Diane Matheson were in attendance on Monday. So, too, was Roque Júnior, the former all-world defender who helped anchor Brazil’s back line en route to a World Cup victory in 2002.

“For me, it’s inspiration. It’s a childhood dream,” Júnior said of the prize that he unveiled on Monday. “This is the most important (accomplishment) that I had in my football career. If I can say some things about the trophy, it’s effort. This is, for me, what I think, what I did, to win the World Cup.”

Monday was an equally significant day for Jose Villeda and his wife, Lupita Antonio, a pair of lifelong soccer fans from El Salvador who moved to Winnipeg 10 years ago.

“It’s a childhood dream.”

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Villeda said of seeing the trophy.

He will attend his first World Cup match when Panama faces Ghana in Toronto this summer.

Villeda grew up playing soccer in the streets of San Salvador, using tin cans as posts. Kicking the ball around on the weekend is simply what children do in so many Central and South America countries.

El Salvador’s last appearance in the tournament, the 1982 World Cup, is Villeda’s earliest memory of the event, which he watched every four years with his father. A 10-1 defeat to Hungary is still burned in his mind.

“It was a horrible loss,” said Villeda, who pulls for Argentina, with a laugh.

“I don’t recall watching it on TV, I just recall the feeling, and my dad was very disappointed and angry. But one thing is… I think they were already up 8-0 or something like that, and then El Salvador scored the only goal that they have scored ever. We yelled at the screen. That I remember — excitement.”

Canadians will be hopeful for similar moments this summer, as the men’s national team returns to the biggest stage for the second consecutive tournament, and just the third time. The 2022 World Cup marked a significant moment for Team Canada, which qualified for the first time in 36 years.

While the program did not win a match, it was clear what the occasion meant to Canadian soccer fans. Now Canada will take centre stage as one of three hosting countries, with matches in Vancouver and Toronto.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Canada, grouped with Bosnia, Qatar and Switzerland, will begin the tournament against Bosnia on June 12 at BMO Field in Toronto.

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Joshua Frey-Sam
Reporter

Josh Frey-Sam reports on sports and business at the Free Press. Josh got his start at the paper in 2022, just weeks after graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College. He reports primarily on amateur teams and athletes in sports. Read more about Josh.

Every piece of reporting Josh produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.