🌊 Ocean! Djavan to battle for a Copa spot, find out | OneFootball

"Come make me happy because I love you

You flow into me, and I, an ocean"

If you don’t know these lines from Oceano, your mom and dad certainly do, since it’s one of the biggest hits in Brazilian popular music, by Djavan.

And did you know that Djavan is going to compete for a spot at the 2026 World Cup?

Well, of course it’s not the singer, but the versatile Djavan Anderson, from Al-Ittifaq of the United Arab Emirates.

His name is not a mere coincidence, but a direct tribute to the Brazilian music icon.

The son of a Surinamese mother and a Jamaican father, Djavan grew up immersed in Brazilian culture.

In an interview with ge, the player said that his father lived in Brazil for almost ten years, which made the family fall in love with the country.

"My parents were huge Djavan fans. In Brazil, when I say my name, people immediately start speaking Portuguese to me," jokes the player, who also lived for a few months in Barra da Tijuca, in Rio de Janeiro.

Djavan’s "Brazilian DNA" also influenced his football, with Ronaldo and Ronaldinho Gaúcho as his biggest inspirations.

Now at Al-Ittifaq in the United Arab Emirates, he is part of a generation benefiting from the recent change in Suriname’s nationality laws, allowing athletes from the diaspora to represent the country.

Historically, Suriname lost legendary stars to the Netherlands because dual citizenship was not allowed.

Names like Seedorf, Davids, Kluivert and Rijkaard were born in the country or have roots there, but shone in the orange shirt.

Now, with the law relaxed, Suriname has grown stronger. In fact, Seedorf and Kluivert now serve as advisers to the federation to help develop local football.

After narrowly missing out in the group stage (they lost the direct qualification spot to Guatemala in the final round), Suriname faces Bolivia this Thursday (26) at 7 p.m. in a one-off match in Mexico.

If they win, they will face Iraq in the playoff final for a historic first-ever World Cup spot.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.

📸 ARIS MARTINEZ - AFP or licensors