In the end what happened was supposed to happen. Argentina defeated Cape Verde. But still, in extra time, 23-year-old Sidney Lopes Cabral fired a wonderful shot that deflected off an Argentine defender and into the far corner of the goal post. A small island nation of about 5 million people was fighting fort against the reigning world champion. One of their players, who a few years earlier had been playing in Germany’s fifth division, was now making history. Even die-hard Argentina fans had to admit it was a special moment. When the number of teams participating in the World Cup was increased from 32 to 48, many football experts were not satisfied with it. Cape Verde? Curacao? Haiti? Uzbekistan? Who ever heard of these teams? Yet Cape Verde remained undefeated in the group round. Curacao drew with Ecuador, led by Chelsea star Moises Caicedo. Congo held Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal to a draw and gave a tough fight to England. Paraguay sent home mighty Germany. Morocco defeated a composed Netherlands team. Norway defeated five-time winners Brazil. And in the Round of 16, Egypt defeated Argentina. It’s been the World Cup of small countries! In a world of superpower rivalries and tech-giants, you could be forgiven for thinking that the bigger and stronger side is always ahead. But then you would be wrong. A quarter of a century ago, Google was a small company and Meta and Tesla were not even born. One-third of the 100 largest firms listed on the Nasdaq today were not even publicly traded in 2000. While players are sweating it out in the American heat, there will undoubtedly be new companies starting up that will displace today’s hyper-scalers. Which countries have achieved tremendous economic success in this quarter century? Small countries like Singapore, Botswana and Ireland are included in this list. If we relax the definition of tremendous success, New Zealand, Panama and Uruguay also fall into it. If the definition of small countries is relaxed, then Rwanda gets the right to join. And let’s not forget Guyana, which is growing by over 35% every year since 2020! Small countries have the same advantages as small companies: they can be agile and adventurous. In a world of polarization and political division, they often find it easier to agree on common goals and adopt reasonable policies than larger countries—especially when there are countries in the neighborhood that are both larger and more dangerous. Democratic politics is also built on the possibility that a common man can overcome difficulties and become successful. If a ruling party’s chances of being re-elected are zero, its incentive to govern well is virtually eliminated. At the same time, the possibility that we will soon come to power prevents us from proposing populist but foolish policies that will destroy the economy. In the end, Cape Verde could not succeed. Another goal gave Argentina a decisive lead. But never mind. The people of Cape Verde had celebrated their celebration in anticipation of two hours. And so did the world. There is a special kind of happiness in the thought that even a small person can win! Cape Verde did not succeed. But never mind. The people of Cape Verde had celebrated their celebration in anticipation of two hours. And so did the world. There is a special kind of happiness in the thought that even a small person can win! (@ProjectSyndicate)
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Andres Velasco’s column: Football World Cup has shown that even small ones can win
