During the semi-final World Cup match between Brazil and Germany, a particularly poignant image of an old Brazilian man who clung to his replica World Cup trophy and wept for his home team’s loss became the talk of the town world.
That moment was shared by many on the Internet and it quickly became one of the most heartbreaking World Cup moments.
And, well, he became an instant Internet celebrity.
He had many identities – “Sad Brazilian Man”, “Sad Brazilian Grandpa“, “Sad Brazilian Fan”, “Saddest Man In Brazil”, so on and so forth. But it was later revealed that his real name was Clovis Acosta Fernandes, better known as Gaúcho da Copa. Apparently, he was pretty well-known in Brazil as he has been supporting the team since the first ever World Cup in Italy.
In fact, Clovis has always been fanatic about football and travelled across countries to follow the Brazil squad at the World Cup. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision when he decided to leave behind his job as a pizzeria owner and sold his restaurant. He created a support group, “Gaucho Cup”, and invited his friends to join him.
The club was constantly renewed as not everyone could travel around like he did. Scarves, hats, breeches, and boots have always been his dress code since his first World Cup.
According to Who Ate All The Pies, all in all, he visited more than 60 countries and attended over 150 matches in his lifetime.
Unfortunately, some sad news have reached us just today (Wednesday, 15th September) that Clovis Acosta Fernandes has died at the age of 60. According to Globo, he passed away in Porto Alegre earlier this morning after finally succumbing to his ailing health following a 9-year battle with cancer. The death was confirmed by the Hospital Santa Casa.
Several Twitter accounts have also shared the news:
https://twitter.com/FootballFunnys/status/644135783436296192
https://twitter.com/LaughingFooty/status/644140579174109184
#Russia2018 – "Gaúcho da Copa" morre aos 60 anos em Porto Alegre.Clóvis Acosta Fernandes lutava contra um câncer. pic.twitter.com/N9JkBECSJe
— Eduardo Ventura (@VenturaNarrador) September 16, 2015
https://twitter.com/TSBible/status/644135094848987136
https://twitter.com/BrazilStats/status/644145217700892672
RIP Gaúcho da Copa pic.twitter.com/PlYMVoDfsk
— Gaúcho da Copa (@Gauchodacopa) September 16, 2015
RIP! Iconic Brazil superfan Clovis Acosta Fernandes dies after long bout with cancer. http://t.co/ziu3eFyRj4 pic.twitter.com/JSKiUAtYFS
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) September 16, 2015
Rest in peace, Clovis Acosta Fernandes. Because of your undying love and passion for the game, you truly were an inspiration to all football fans out there.
Sources: Who Ate All The Pies, Globo, Bleacher Report, Gaucha, The Independent.
