Eloy Room Follows in Vozinha's Footsteps.. His World Cup Brilliance Reflects on His Popularity

Similar to what happened with Vozinha, the Cape Verde goalkeeper, Eloy Room's Instagram account, the goalkeeper for the Curaçao national team, saw a significant increase in followers after he became one of the standout stars of the 2026 World Cup due to his exceptional performance against Ecuador.

The 37-year-old goalkeeper had conceded seven goals in the opening match against Germany, but that did not stop him from writing one of the most beautiful stories in the tournament. He led Curaçao to secure their first-ever point in World Cup history with a goalless draw against Ecuador, having saved a barrage of chances and finishing the match with a clean sheet.

Rome delivered a legendary performance by making 15 successful saves, the second-highest number of saves in a single World Cup match. This is also the record for matches that lasted 90 minutes, trailing by just one save behind the historic record set by American Tim Howard against Belgium in the 2014 World Cup, when he made 16 saves over 120 minutes.

While the spotlight was on the stars of the major teams, Eloy Room emerged as an unexpected hero of the tournament, reminiscent of the impact Vozinha had with Cape Verde. This reaffirms that the World Cup not only creates champions but also crafts stories that remain in the memory of fans for many years.