Sheffield United man reflects on fairytale full-circle World Cup moment amid uncertain Bramall Lane future
Tahith Chong fell in love with football while watching the 2006 World Cup final. Twenty years later, the Sheffield United winger has helped the smallest nation ever to qualify for the tournament capture hearts and minds on football's biggest stage.
He may be facing something of an uncertain future at Sheffield United but at international level, Tahith Chong has already helped make history - and hopes to continue inspiring the next generation after his career went full circle.
The Blades winger fell in love with football after watching the 2006 World Cup final and then helped Curacao to the World Cup, making them the smallest nation to qualify in the competition’s history.
A thumping 7-1 defeat to Germany in their first group game was a reality check but they bounced back to earn a historic first point on the grandest stage against Ecuador, and go into their final clash with the Ivory Coast with qualification for the next stage still a possibility.
Goal difference isn’t in their favour after that first-day thumping but it has been some story for the Carribbean island nation, with a population of around 130,000 - an estimated five per cent of whom have travelled to the World Cup.
“My entire life has revolved around football,” the former Manchester United prospect said. “I think 2006 was when I watched it for the first time. Funnily enough, that was the World Cup final, France against Italy.
"After that, football was the only thing on my mind. My father played football in Curaçao for several years and when I was six years old, I told him I wanted to become a footballer. I think he was the happiest man on earth at that moment.
"When I started to play, he already knew the Netherlands and had worked there. So he understood the level they were playing at and thought: 'My son can do that too.' Then Feyenoord said they really wanted me to join the club.
"At eight years old, you don't think about the sacrifices they have to make. The sacrifices made such a move possible. Whatever I end up doing for my mum and dad, I'll never be able to pay them back because they put the dreams of an eight-year-old first."
Chong joined the Blades last summer, when they paid a decent fee to Luton Town to bring him north, and it’s fair to say that the move has not yet worked out for either party. There have been flashes of his promise, including a cameo on the final day of last season at Derby County, but they have been too few and far between.
The private hope at Bramall Lane was that a good performance or two from Chong at the tournament could put him in the shop window, with the Blades looking to reshape their squad this summer following a disappointing 13th-placed finish.
But for the time being at least his focus remains on the World Cup, with an underdog nation who have captured the imagination. "Now we've come to the point where the whole world supports Curaçao,” he added.
"There are often two things I think about. The older generation, my father — he never would have dreamt of seeing Curaçao at the World Cup. And also the new generation that is now knocking on the door.
"You have children there who are probably the same age I was, six, seven or eight, watching football for the first time. Who will think: ‘2026 was a true moment of inspiration for me.’ I think the biggest message out of all of this is to never stop dreaming."