A priori, many thought that the Curacao team would go unnoticed in this 2026 World Cup, after debuting with a historic 7-1 win over Germany.
However, the country of just 155 thousand inhabitants made history in its second match against Ecuador, not only for getting its first point in its first participation in a World Cup, but also for a specific character.
Eloy Room, Curacao’s goalkeeper, was unanimously the figure of the match by making 15 saves, a figure that makes him the goalkeeper who has avoided the most scoring chances in the history of the World Cup.
According to data from Opta Sports, no goalkeeper has made as many saves during the 90 minutes of a World Cup match and he has kept a clean sheet.
Only American goalkeeper Tim Howard could surpass him, as he made 16 saves, but unlike Room, the goalkeeper American conceded two goals against Brazil in the 2014 World Cup.
Eloy Room is 37 years old and, before his historic participation in the World Cup, He was a goalkeeper for Miami FC. Furthermore, it is of Dutch origin.
According to the BBC, in 2015 the Blue Wave coach, Patrick Kluivert, He called Room to play for his home country’s national team.
Since its inception, Room has served on several teams. At the beginning of his career he played in the first division of the Dutch league and He played more than 200 games in 10 years of career.
He also obtained a league title with PSV and a glass with Vitesse. He then moved to the US and signed for the Columbus Crew in 2019.
Later, the goalkeeper signed for Miami FC in 2020where he won the MLS and even received an award for best save of the season.
As a curiosity, Eloy Room claimed to be a fan of paddle tennis, since He claims that it is a sport that has helped him sharpen his reflexes.
Read also: 1, 2, 3… up to 15: Eloy Room’s saves that made history in the 2026 World Cup