The summer of the underdog: why outsiders are the most compelling sights in sport | Natalie Tan

Thanks to Arthur Fery, Maja Chwalinska and Cape Verde, we have been blessed with a glut of unexpected stories of late “Where has he been?” Gary Neville said of Vozinha, the Cape Verde goalkeeper. “We should have met him before.” Should you have, really? Met him before? Surely that would have defeated the point. The appeal of the underdog, after all, is that a month ago you wouldn’t have been able to name them. They’re supposed to come out of absolutely nowhere and they have: what with Arthur ...

By Natalie Tan