Ivory Coast: Serey Die Cried During National Anthem [Updates]
By Mike Cardillo
Serey Die, a midfielder on the Ivory Coast National Team, gave the world television feed a moment of genuine emotion during his country’s national anthem Thursday as his team prepared to take on Colombia at the 2014 World Cup. Die’s waterworks will certainly generate 100s of memes, but I thought it was a cool moment and a reminder that representing your country at the World Cup is still a big deal for some players.
UPDATE: There was a reason for Die’s emotion today:
#RESPECT for Serey Die who played today hours after his father died. Lots of strength going his way. #CIV
— Juan G. Arango ?? ?? (@JuanG_Arango) June 19, 2014
UPDATE No. 2:
An official with the Cote D'Ivoire team just told me Serey Die's father died in 2004, not two hours before kickoff.
— David Waldstein (@DavidWaldstein) June 19, 2014
He said Die was thinking about him during the national anthem, which is why he grew so emotional.
— David Waldstein (@DavidWaldstein) June 19, 2014