Photo: Jeremy Richards/Pond5 Images/IMAGO. Retrieved from dw.com
The volcanic island of Robinson Crusoe, 670 kilometers (416 miles) west of Chile’s mainland, was renamed in 1966 after the famous Daniel Defoe novel about a man left to survive on a remote island.
Over 300 years after the novel was written, this island of roughly 1,200 residents enjoyed one of the most magical moments of football history.
For the first time ever, the island competed in Chile’s domestic football cup. The Football Federation of Chile invited Robinson Crusoe Island and Alejandro Selkirk Island to join together and compete as the “Juan Fernandez Archipelago”.
On the last Saturday in April, they hosted three-time cup winners Santiago Wanderers and fell to a narrow 2-1 loss.
Juan Fernandez goalkeeper Hector Melo, who made a string of great saves, gave an emotional interview afterwards talking about his teammates, the people on the island and the beauty of football.