| Description |
“An impossibility made possible.” That is how The Guardian described Curaçao’s sensational World Cup qualification. An island with fewer than 150,000 inhabitants, smaller than Schouwen-Duiveland, qualifying for the biggest football stage in the world… It sounds like a fairy tale. But after a mind-boggling match in Kingston, Jamaica, it became reality in November 2025. This book is more than the chronicle of a historic achievement. It tells the story of Curaçao, of The Blue Wave, of a country that put itself on the world map. About falling and rising again, starting with limited resources, players who didn’t want to join, and an organization that had to be rebuilt. About the release of tension after decisive moments and the pride that gripped the entire island. At the same time, it is the story of Dick Advocaat’s ‘last dance’ — a farewell that takes on extra significance when personal circumstances force him to step down. Various key players who witnessed this extraordinary journey up close share their stories. The Curaçao football fairy tale is interspersed with retrospectives on the rich career of Dick Advocaat, spanning more than forty years: memories of earlier foreign adventures of Advocaat and his second-in-command Cor Pot, including their time in Saint Petersburg and experiences in other countries where football, culture, and camaraderie came together.
21 x 15 cms, softback, 168 pages.
2026
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