Sheffield United star reveals what it will mean to him to make World Cup debut as tournament looms
Sheffield United ace Tahith Chong has opened up on what it will mean to him to represent Curaçao at this summer’s World Cup.
Sheffield United winger Tahith Chong has said it will be “a dream come true” for him and his teammates when Curaçao make their World Cup debut next weekend.
With a population of just 156,000 and a land mass smaller than the Isle of Man, Curacao will become the smallest nation to ever appear at the World Cup, surpassing the record previously held by Iceland.
The Caribbean island, under the guidance of experienced boss Dick Advocaat, will get their World Cup adventure underway against Germany next Sunday (6pm BST). Competing in Group E, they will also take on Ecuador and the Ivory Coast.
After losing 4-1 to Scotland in their penultimate warm-up match last weekend, Curaçao put the finishing touches to their World Cup preparations with a 4-0 win over Aruba on Saturday night. However, Chong, formerly of Manchester United, did not feature, failing to make it off the bench.
Despite that, the 26-year-old, who joined the Blades from Luton Town last August, is expected to play a prominent role at this summer’s tournament. He was on the scoresheet in the aforementioned defeat to Scotland, scoring a superb individual goal to give Curaçao the lead at Hampden Park.
Having taken full advantage of FIFA’s decision to expand the World Cup to 48 nations, it will be a historic moment when Curaçao walk out for their World Cup debut against Germany next Sunday evening.
Opening up on what it will mean to him and his teammates, Chong, speaking to FIFA’s website, said: “It will be a dream come true, not just for me but for the whole group, considering we’re the smallest nation ever, and all the boys having had different paths to get to where we are.
“It's been a long process. I've recently joined up, but you've got our captain Leandro Bacuna, and Eloy Room, our ‘keeper, they've been coming here for 10+ years, so you can imagine what they're feeling.”
Chong switched his international allegiance to Curaçao last summer and his since scored three goals in his first five appearances. He previously played for the Netherlands at youth level.
However, he was born on the island of Curaçao, meaning this summer’s World Cup is more significant for him than for most of his teammates.
He added: “I was born there and when I was a kid I played in Curaçao before I moved to Holland. Where we stay with the national team when we go back to Curaçao is literally opposite the school I went to when I was like six or seven.
“It was my first start – I'd already made my debut in Trinidad. For a lot of the family, it was the first time seeing me live in person, so it was pretty cool.”