The moving story of the fan symbol of the Brazilian National Team

Clóvis Acosta Fernandes was the symbol supporter of the Brazilian team. During his life, he visited 60 countries, always chasing his national team, and attended more than 150 games. Clóvis saw with his own eyes 6 World Cups, 6 America Cups, 4 Confederation Cups and also went to the Olympics.

We decided to share the story of this simple, smiling and very sweet Brazilian, born in Porto Alegre, who became one of the best known fans in the history of Brazilian football.

Clóvis inherited his father’s great love for football and the national team. When he was little, in 1958 and 1962, his father honored the Brazilian national team by setting off fireworks in the home garden, honoring the first two achievements of the Brazilian national team, under the command of the eternal Pelé and Garrincha.

When young Clóvis accompanied the Incredible Selection of the 1970 World Cup, in Mexico. It was at this Cup that he decided that he would participate in that atmosphere and support his team from the stands, not in front of a television. But, unfortunately, at that time, the possibility of a World Cup in Brazil was very small. The country had hosted the Cup not long ago, in 1950.

Until 1990, Clóvis maintained a completely normal lifestyle. He raised 4 children with his wife and, like many Brazilians, was passionate about football. He had a small pizzeria and he worked a lot, so he could hardly ever go on vacation.

But, a few months before the World Cup in Italy, Clóvis understood that the time had come to fulfill the dream he had been nurturing for so long.

To go to the World Cup in Italy, Clóvis sold the pizzeria. With the money, he bought his wife a piano (something she had always wanted). At first, she was not supportive of the idea, but decided to accept it. Family friends called him crazy and told Débora that at least he hadn’t abandoned the family. They also said that Clovis’ impulsive behavior was just a kind of midlife crisis.

But Clóvis really wanted to follow the national team and football. During the period he stayed in Italy, he had to work in a pizzeria to earn some money to support himself.

Unfortunately, Brazil lost to Argentina in the Round of 16 and was left out of the Cup. Clóvis returned home completely changed: the trip made him very anxious, but he experienced strong emotions and made many new friends. At that moment, his children were already grown up and his wife understood the love that her husband felt for football and the national team.

In the second World Cup that he saw live, in 1994, Clóvis traveled to the United States and also took his son Frank, who learned English to help his father with the translations. Clóvis, also known as ‘Gaúcho da Copa’, spoke only Portuguese, and said that football is the international language of communication.

In 1994, the selection of Romário, Taffarel, Dunga and company would win the fourth championship. Clóvis and a group of supporters were featured in several newspapers as symbols of Brazilian joy. For this, they received thanks from the players themselves. And it was then that they got sponsorship to travel and follow the national team.

The peak of popularity came in 2014, when the World Cup came to Brazil. But it was in that cup that the selection suffered the greatest defeat in its history, the humiliating 7×1 against Germany, which brought Clóvis to tears. The image of him crying ended up in all the newspapers and he was dubbed ‘the saddest man in Brazil’.

Clóvis was sure that Brazil would win the World Cup in 2018, in Russia. But unfortunately, he didn’t get to see the dream come true with his own eyes.

The legendary fan fought kidney cancer for 9 years. During this period, he even made some trips. Even when he was bedridden, he never failed to smile and show the positive energy he always had to his friends and family.

In August 2015, Clóvis refused a chemotherapy session and decided that he would spend the last few weeks with his big and beautiful family.

The great fan of Brazil passed away in September 2015. In the image, we see the cup with the hat that Clóvis always wore, with all the pins of the cities and countries he visited, always to watch the football matches of the Selection. His children decided to honor him and took the cup that their father always carried and the hat to Russia.

This is the first major championship that Brazil will not have its most illustrious, motivated and smiling supporter in the stands. But Clóvis, the eternal Gaucho of the Cup, will never be forgotten.

If you have any beautiful stories like this, please share them. Life is much happier and more beautiful when good stories are shared.

And we were cheering. If Brazil wins the sixth, we will certainly remember Clovis.