Eloy Room’s 15 saves make Curaçao goalkeeper a social media sensation | OneFootball

Eloy Room, 37, delivered a historic shift for Curaçao with 15 saves in a 0-0 draw against Ecuador on Saturday, and his profile exploded online. According to L'Équipe, his Instagram following jumped from around 100,000 before the match to more than 1 million by the afternoon.

The result gave the Caribbean nation the first World Cup point in its history, with Room central to it.

The surge mirrors that of Vozinha, Cape Verde’s goalkeeper, whose followers also soared after his 0-0 draw with Spain, when he made seven saves. New Zealand defender Tim Payne, labelled the World Cup’s least-known player, completes the unlikely trio of social media breakouts.

Room’s clean sheet carried particular meaning. In the post-match celebrations he and several team-mates held up a T-shirt bearing a Creole message dedicating the result, with love from Curaçao.

The tribute was for Jarzinho Pieter, Room’s former back-up with the national team. Before a match against Haiti in 2019, Pieter, 31, with 12 caps, died of a heart attack at his hotel in Port-au-Prince.

Source: L'Équipe