Much ado has been made about the reaction of Brazilians to their dramatic exit from the World Cup on Tuesday.
The pictures of one fan desperately clinging to his gold trophy with the realisation that the host country’s World Cup dreams had come to an abrupt end were plastered across the media.
But the next day Redditors posted a very special moment. Clovis Fernandes was captured ‘passing the baton’ to exuberant German fans as they celebrated their semi-final victory.
It was a wonderful display of off-the-ball sportsmanship.
Before your heart melts for the man with the heart (and formerly a trophy) of gold, be comforted by the fact that 2014 wasn’t his first World Cup foray.
There he was in Italy in 1990.
He also travelled to 1994 to US to support the Brazilian team that won the World Cup.
Clovis remained Brazil's pillar of support during the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
Cometh 2010 and the World Cup in South Africa and he was there too.
Such is his love for the beautiful game that FIFA even made a special video on him.
As he graciously handed over his World Cup trophy, he reportedly said: "Take it to the final! As you can see, it is not easy, but you deserve it. Congratulations."
Clovis Fernandes has been to seven of the tournaments — so many that he calls himself Brazil's 12th player. Clovis has travelled to more than 60 countries to watch his team play 150 games.
"I am their 12th player," he told FIFA TV who did a profile on the dedicated fan, "you can be certain of that. I am the guy that cheers, I’m the guy that shouts, I’m the guy that makes promises."
“I remember the 1970 World Cup in Mexico,” he told FIFA TV. "I was able to watch it all on television and my passion for the game started to grow."
"Experiencing that emotion, I promised myself that one day I would be at a World Cup. That one day I’d follow Brazil in the finals. That dream came true in Italy in 1990. That was my first World Cup.
“Everything I’d bottled up — that crazy passion for the Brazilian national team — was released with incredible strength. So that was my first World Cup experience and I carry my passion with me to this day," he said.
"You can be sure that I’ll end the tournament as the player with the most appearances for Brazil," he said of 2014.
See you in 2018 Clovis!
