Curaçao will become the smallest nation by land area ever to participate in a World Cup final, and the team is home to two players who developed at Manchester United's academy. Martínez left Manchester United's academy in 2013, and three years later Bacuna joined the club's academy.

The Caribbean island of Curaçao has a total population of just over 150,000 people, which is about 75,000 fewer than the population of Old Trafford in England; its land area spans only 171 square miles, even smaller than the Isle of Man.

Following the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles, Curaçao officially became a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in 2010.

Football development in the country relies on a core group of players born in the Netherlands with ancestral roots on this small island. Among the 26-player squad, Bacuna is notably the only player born in Curaçao.

Martínez, 31, joined Manchester United's academy early and was the first to represent Curaçao's national team.

His father, Dean, made over 120 appearances in the English league during his playing career and now serves as Technical Director of the Curaçao Football Federation, deeply committed to developing the nation's football. During crucial World Cup qualifying matches against Jamaica, head coach Dick Advocaat was temporarily unavailable due to family health issues, and Dean stepped in as interim coach, leading the team to victory in that decisive match.

Martínez currently plays for Maccabi Haifa in Israel. In his youth, he represented various Dutch youth national teams, and at age 24, he officially chose to play for Curaçao's national team, earning 37 caps to date. At this World Cup, the 78-year-old veteran coach Advocaat is back in charge, and Martínez is one of the squad's most experienced players.

For players like Martínez, stepping onto the World Cup stage feels like a dream come true. After their opening group match against Germany, the team will face Ecuador and Ivory Coast, and he is determined to cherish every moment of the tournament.

"I feel like I'm living in a movie right now, and I'm grateful for this experience. I'll enjoy this journey fully and won't let this opportunity slip away," he said.

His father, Dean, added: "Martínez was one of the pioneers, though of course there were senior players before him who also tried. It's only when you achieve real success that all the effort truly takes root.

In 2017, we successfully qualified for the Gold Cup, and this achievement made the local community realize that playing for Curaçao in international competitions was a worthwhile path. More and more people began to identify with that vision."

Bacuna joined the national team relatively late. He was called up for the 2021 Gold Cup but ultimately missed the final squad, and at that time the team also withdrew due to a major COVID-19 outbreak.

During his time at Manchester United, Bacuna represented the Dutch U21 national team. Last August, he officially changed his citizenship, choosing to play for his birthplace, Curaçao. Bacuna made 16 appearances for Manchester United's senior team at Old Trafford, and in the 2022/23 season, he transferred to Birmingham City.

In the 2023/24 season, he returned to the Premier League with Luton and now plays for Sheffield United. The 26-year-old is eager to take the World Cup stage.

"It's not just my dream that's come true—it's the same for everyone on this team. We are the smallest nation by size ever to participate in the World Cup, and every player has taken a completely different football journey to get here today.

My decision to switch to the national team has been an emotionally long journey. The captain and others have been committed to the national team for over a decade, so you can imagine how thrilled they are now.

Since we qualified for the World Cup final, hardly anyone on the entire island can sleep. As the World Cup draws closer, the whole country is celebrating, and the atmosphere on the island is absolutely electric.

Previously, fans on the island supported traditional powerhouses like Brazil and Argentina, but this year we're on the World Cup stage ourselves—everything is different. Every local resident will cheer for Curaçao, and just thinking about it is incredibly exciting."

Curaçao will make history in Houston, and these two former Red Devils academy players are core members of this historic team.

Diterjemahkan oleh AI.