Paraguay keeper Gill: from selling kit to World Cup
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- Orlando Gill saved two spot-kicks in a World Cup last-16 shootout win over Germany, securing Paraguay's second knockout-stage victory in tournament history and earning Fifa's player of the match award.
- Gill had registered just two senior appearances for Paraguayan club CS San Lorenzo when his son Lautaro was born prematurely in December 2022, requiring emergency surgery for his wife Melissa Avalos and intensive care for the baby.
- Gill sold his club gear — clothes, sneakers and even his Paraguay U20 national team jersey — to cover expenses because the family "had nothing," according to Avalos's Instagram post.
- Gill got a career lifeline when Argentine top-flight side San Lorenzo signed him on loan about a year after Lautaro's birth; he became a first-team regular in 2025 and won his senior Paraguay debut in September.
- Gill has conceded only one goal in three World Cup matches, saving 16 of 17 shots on target, after Paraguay's opening 4-1 loss to co-hosts the United States.
- Gill dedicated his player of the match trophy to his nephew Alexander, revealing that Alexander is currently hospitalized in Paraguay.
Why it matters: A goalkeeper with three career club appearances 12 months ago is now Fifa's player of the match at a World Cup, giving minnow Paraguay only their second-ever knockout-round win and a national team cornerstone built from selling his own U20 jersey to pay for his premature son's care. For Paraguay, Gill's emergence transforms a 4-1 opening loss to the U.S. into a deep tournament run, with the goalkeeper saving 16 of 17 shots on target since.
