Hey World Cup fans, here's a little story about a man, a trophy and good sportsmanship.
This die-hard Brazil fan was all set to own Germany in Tuesday's match.
A Brazil's supporter poses with a World Cup trophy replica prior to the quarter-final football match between Brazil and Colombia at the Castelao Stadium in Fortaleza during the 2014 FIFA World Cup on July 4, 2014.
Image: EITAN ABRAMOVICH/AFP
He was on top of the world. No one had ever loved a trophy so much.
But then came that first goal. And then the second. And then, the third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh ...
Things were grim. Brazil's run at the World Cup was over.
But that man, whose defeated face was plastered across newspapers and television screens, knew when it was time to fold. Redditors captured this touching moment of the man giving his trophy away to Germany's fans.
Reportedly, as he handed the trophy over, he said (roughly translated), "Take it to the final! As you can see, it is not easy, but you deserve it. Congratulations."
Brazilians may not have the best defense, but you can't deny they've got heart. And don't let yours break for the man with the trophy. Brazil's 2014 World Cup wasn’t his first rodeo.
Clovis Fernandes has been to seven of these things â€" so many that calls himself Brazil's 12th player. Clovis has traveled to more than 60 countries to watch his team play 150 games.
"I am their 12th player," he said in a video profile by FIFA TV, "you can be certain of that. I am the guy that cheers, I’m the guy that shouts, I’m the guy that makes promises."
There he was in Italy in 1990.
And there in U.S. in 1994.
Years later, you can bet your footballs he was in Germany in 2006.
Image: TORSTEN BLACKWOOD/AFP/Getty Images
And yup â€" South Africa in 2010.
Image: PEDRO UGARTE/AFP/Getty Images
“I remember the 1970 World Cup in Mexico,†he says in the FIFA TV profile of where his love of the game began. "I was able to watch it all on television and my passion for the game started to grow."
"Experiencing that emotion, I promised myself that one day I would be at a World Cup. That one day I’d follow Brazil in the finals. That dream came true in Italy in 1990. That was my first World Cup. Everything I’d bottled up â€" that crazy passion for the Brazilian national team â€" was released with incredible strength. So that was my first World Cup experience and I carry my passion with me to this day," he said.
"You can be sure that I’ll end the tournament as the player with the most appearances for Brazil," he said of 2014.
Better luck next time, Clovis. There's always 2018.
Image: FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images
BONUS: The Miserable Agony of Being a Brazil Fan
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