Leandro Bacuna #10

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One of the squad’s most capped - and experienced - players as he chose to represent Curaçao back in 2016, while he was still playing in the Premier League with Aston Villa. Patrick Kluivert was the head coach then and Bacuna followed in the footsteps of the goalkeeper Eloy Room, who had opted to play for Curaçao the year before. The team became incredibly close-knit, something reflected in how they honour Jairzinho Pieter, a former national team goalkeeper who died while travelling with the squad. Pieter was known for leading the team’s daily prayers – a ritual still observed today, with Bacuna placing a necklace belonging to him at the centre of the team huddle. “His passing was very difficult at the time and it is still very difficult,” Room said. “That made the dream of reaching the World Cup come even more to life, because it was also truly his dream. It gave us even more motivation.”

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