“Cape Verde has a small basketball base, I have continued in that team to help. I would really like to play with Spain, but they have much more talent and resources than Cape Verde. Playing with my country and contributing a grain of sand is very important to me.”. This is how he responded to Walter Tavares in a interview for El País to the question of whether at some point he had been able to become a Spanish national.
The Real Madrid center demonstrated with words his love for his country, his strong commitment to the growth of a basketball that with his help was fourth in the Afrobasket 2021 in Rwanda, his second best ranking ever after bronze in 2007 in Angola in seven participations out of 16 possible. A priceless reinforcement for his teammates that has been repeated again in this last World Cup qualifying window, which will be held this summer between Indonesia, the Philippines and Japan between August 25 and September 10.
Tavares has traveled to Luanda (Angola), where the last Window of group A is being disputed in its entirety, to give the final push to Cape Verde. An 8,000 kilometer one-way trip that he paid for out of his own pocket after Madrid’s victory against Zalgiris in the Euroleague this Thursday and which began with a defeat against the host (80-67), despite his 11 points and 15 rebounds for a PIR of 23.
But that can have a happy ending: If he wins this Sunday (3:30 p.m. in Spain) against the Ivory Coast, his country will play the first World Cup in its history. If they lose and Nigeria win, they’re out. If both teams fall, Cape Verde will close the qualifying phase as third and a balance of 5-5, the same as the best third party in the other group whatever happens: Senegal and Tunisia have two more games, but they are not counted, their balance will be 5-5. In the latter case, the last African banknote will be decided by the average general, which at the moment is like this: +20 for Cape Verde; +26 for Tunisia; and +52 for Senegal).
