Vaporaki: I’ll never forget the joy of eliminating Brazil

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The last two editions of the FIFA Futsal World Cup™ have produced some epic moments for Argentina, and right in the middle of it all has been Kiki Vaporaki.

In his maiden experience at Colombia 2016, the winger chose the perfect time to score his first goal of the tournament, producing a long-range laser that sealed a 5-4 victory over Russia in the final. At Lithuania 2021, Vaporaki once again picked an ideal time to strike, spurring a 2-1 win over arch-rivals Brazil in the semi-finals.

Gearing up for another global finals, the 34-year-old speaks to FIFA about his World Cup heroics, what sets Argentina apart, the magnificence of Nico Sarmiento, the Uzbekistan 2024 title contenders, and playing alongside the legendary Ricardinho.

What was it like scoring in the World Cup final against Russia in 2016?
Kiki Vaporaki: I not only remember it a lot, but I’m also reminded of it any time I do an interview, go on a show or talk with anyone in the media. That is always the highlight that is shown: my goal in the final. A goal in a World Cup final lives in everyone’s memory because it’s the most important game of all. It is something that lasts forever. People might forget an important goal in the last 16 or quarter-finals, but an important goal in a final isn’t ever forgotten.

You also scored a massive goal in the 2021 semi-final against Brazil. How special is that for you?
Scoring a goal in an Argentina-Brazil derby in a World Cup is also unforgettable. The games against Brazil are always special, and so I’ll always have that memory of scoring against them and eliminating them from a World Cup. The feeling of joy and excitement of knowing that we did something historic, those are really wonderful memories to have.

How is preparation for the World Cup coming along?
Our pre-World Cup training camps are always long because our coaching staff believes it’s a method that works. We started off doing a lot of physical work. Now the physical workload has lessened and we’re focused more on the tactical and futsal side of things, getting into shape in time for the important pre-World Cup friendlies that we have.

This would be your third World Cup. What would that mean to you on a personal level?
I think about it every day. As a boy, you always dream about playing in a World Cup, representing your country, your flag, and each time I come to the national-training centre, each time I step into this place wearing the national-team jersey, I feel like it’s a privilege. I feel like it’s a reward for what I do at my club and what I’ve done in my life and my career, and the countless hours and days of training. It’s an honour, a privilege, a great joy. Ten years in the national team and I still feel the same responsibility, desire, ambition and feeling of fighting for a place. Hopefully I get another chance to be there.

What stands out about this current Argentina team?
I would say that for many of the players, after having played in so many World Cups, they still have the same ambition. I see them with the same desire and joy of coming back and having another good performance and trying to make history. I think that’s been the key to us playing in a two straight finals. New players come into the team and they quickly learn how we handle each training session, how we handle preparation. Guys who have been together for years still train hard with the same intensity as always, and I think that has kept us at the top. Generations come and go, so do coaches and players, but Argentina will also have that competitiveness to take into tournaments.

What are your thoughts on Argentina’s group-stage opponents Ukraine, Afghanistan and Angola?
I see it as a very hard group. The reality is that we don’t know Angola or Afghanistan that well, which is normal. But nowadays we know that these types of national teams are difficult to face. It happened to us with Iran in the last World Cup. We knew they were really good, very competitive and very technical, and I think we’ll see the same thing with the opponents we face in the group stage. You can’t get overconfident when you go up against these teams. No game will be easy.

In your mind, who are the candidates to win the title?
You always have to start with the top teams in this sport: Argentina, Brazil, Spain and Portugal. Portugal won the last World Cup and will be out to defend their title. There are other teams who have become very strong like Iran, France, Morocco and Kazakhstan. There is much more parity at the top, but of the biggest favourites, I would say Brazil, Spain and Portugal.

How has your experience been playing in Latvia?
It’s more a life experience than a sporting experience. The difficulty lies in being in a country so far away, a country that has a very dark, cold winter, and one that doesn’t have a very big Spanish-speaking community. That’s the most difficult thing. But like any life experience it has its good things. An example is that I am using my English much more, which is a language I studied when I was little and hadn’t practiced much, so I’m doing very well in that aspect. I’ve adapted well, I’m very happy, I’m going to stay in Latvia for another two years. I’m satisfied that I’ve helped open up another market for Argentinian players. Dylan Vargas and I were the first two Argentinians to play futsal in Latvia, and several more players have signed for next year.

What was it like playing alongside Ricardinho in Latvia?
It was a spectacular gift to play and spend a year with him in a place that I never would have expected. I have a wonderful friendship with him. I found him to be a very interesting person apart from his futsal playing, a very smart person with a lot of charisma with whom I talked about everything. We shared our experiences and, of course, just watching what he did in every training session, seeing the things that he did, you realise why he was the best in the world for so many years. He plays with a joy and does things the rest of us can’t. I’ll always have a lot of admiration for him and will forever be glad that I got to play with him.

Where do you put Nicolas Sarmiento in the list of best goalkeepers in the world?
When Nico Sarmiento puts on the jersey of the Argentina national team, everyone knows that he’s the best goalkeeper in the world. He’s shown that in the last two World Cups. For us, when he’s wearing that Argentina shirt, it’s like a guarantee. And we know that we have to have Nico at that level if we are going to achieve big things, because a goalkeeper in a World Cup is so important. One error can leave you out, so having that sure thing in goal is essential.