Hometown hero: Ontario town celebrates Canada's historic World Cup win

The small southwestern Ontario municipality of Leamington is celebrating Canada's historic 1-0 World Cup victory over South Africa, which propelled the team to the round of 16 for the first time in men's World Cup history. The game-winning goal was scored by Stephen Eustáquio, a 29-year-old native of Leamington.

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He’s a local hero.

Joal McMahon, principal of St. Louis Catholic Elementary School, where Eustáquio attended, called him a "local hero." Despite Eustáquio's brief time at the school before moving to Portugal, he left a lasting impression. McMahon recalled Eustáquio as a "hard-working kid" and noted that the school community was thrilled to see him score the winning goal.

Soccer is a popular sport at St. Louis, and students often emulate Eustáquio's game during recess. McMahon shared that Eustáquio had previously sent a video to his alma mater, encouraging support for Team Canada. The school watched the first game together, and the support continued in classrooms until the summer break.

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We have staff who still remember him as a young student. Just as an awesome little guy back then, working hard with his older brother. A hard-working family.

"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 stated. Eustáquio's journey began at the Leamington Minor Soccer League at age four.

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After the goal happened, my phone was blown up with staff members who couldn’t believe that it was him.

Tony Omar, president of the Leamington Minor Soccer League, remembered Eustáquio and his brother playing soccer while their father participated in the men's league. Omar, who didn't know Eustáquio directly, expressed amazement at his success. He described the young Eustáquio as very skilled and talented, with a good field vision, noting that his hard work and natural abilities have clearly brought him to this level.

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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.