A small southwestern Ontario municipality with a population just shy of 30,000 has erupted with pride following Canada’s 1-0 win over South Africa in the first knockout round of the World Cup.
After 92 minutes of gridlocked play, the game-winning goal was scored by Stephen Eustáquio, a 29-year-old originally from Leamington, Ont., sending Canada to the round of 16 for the first time in men’s World Cup history.
“He’s a local hero,” Joal McMahon, the principal of St. Louis Catholic Elementary School in Leamington, told Global News.
Eustáquio attended St. Louis from kindergarten to Grade 2 before moving to Portugal. But despite his short stint at the school, McMahon said he left a lasting impact.
“We have staff who still remember him as a young student,” he said. “Just as an awesome little guy back then, working hard with his older brother. A hard-working family.
“After the goal happened, my phone was blown up with staff members who couldn’t believe that it was him.”
Even the children on the playground got a kick out of supporting a hometown hero.
“Soccer is a huge sport at our school and a lot of students were trying to emulate his game and pretend to be him in the games outside at recess,” McMahon said.
McMahon said Eustáquio had reached out to his alma mater prior to the World Cup with a video asking the school and the greater community to support Team Canada. The school gathered to watch the first game, and teachers and staff carried on support in their classrooms until school was let out for summer break.
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“To see a hard-working kid live out his dreams has definitely been an inspiration for our school community and our population, knowing that you can achieve your goals and be a Canadian hero if you keep with that perseverance and dedication,” McMahon said.
For Eustáquio, that dream began in Leamington. He first stepped on the pitch with the Leamington Minor Soccer League at the age of four.
Tony Omar, president of the Leamington Minor Soccer League, told Global News he didn’t know Eustáquio directly, but remembers how he and his brother would kick the ball around while their father played in the men’s league.
“Stephen just kicking the ball, I’m guessing he was maybe five at the time. That’s where it starts,” he said. “To see that he’s now playing for Canada, wow, it can happen to anyone.”
Omar said Eustáquio was coached by his dad while he played in the league and was one of the top players on his team. He said from the very beginning, you could tell the young Eustáquio knew what he was doing.
“Stephen, so much like his dad, was very skilled, very talented, sees the field,” he said. “It definitely shows that his hard work and natural abilities have gotten them to this level.”
Omar said he does not take credit for Eustáquio’s success, but he’s extremely proud to have a connection to the player.
“Hats off to all the people who contributed to not only Stephen’s success, but all the Canadian soccer players’ successes, because I’m sure there were hundreds of volunteers that made the pathway for them to get to where they are,” he said.
Canada will play next on July 4 against either the Netherlands or Morocco.
Leamington Mayor Hilda MacDonald told Global News in a statement that the whole town will be cheering on Eustáquio and Team Canada.
“Watching Stephen Eustáquio score on the world stage is a moment our community will never forget,” she said. “We’ll be cheering them on every step of the way.”
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