Global InformationNicky Salapu information
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Nicky Vitolio Salapu | ||
| Date of birth | September 13, 1980[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Pago Pago, American Samoa | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2000–2008 | PanSa East | ||
| 2008–2011 | SC Mauerbach | ||
| 2011–2012 | PanSa East | ||
| 2012–2013 | Mitra Kukar | ||
| 2013– | PanSa East | ||
| International career | |||
| 2001–2019 | American Samoa | 22 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Nicky Vitolio Salapu (born September 13, 1980) is an American Samoan former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He previously played for PanSa East from 2000 to 2008 and 2008 to 2011, before leaving for Indonesian side Mitra Kukar in 2012. He played in American Samoa's 31–0 loss to Australia, where he was the only player from the senior squad remaining after the rest of the squad was ruled ineligible due to holding Samoan, rather than US, passports.[2][3][4]
Salapu conceded a total of 91 goals in the 2002 and 2006 World Cup qualifiers,[5] while also starting in American Samoa's first ever official FIFA World Cup qualifiers win. After the game, Salapu said: "I feel like a champ right now. Finally I'm going to put the past behind me."[6]
His stint with the American Samoa national team was covered in the 2014 documentary Next Goal Wins, and the 2023 biographical comedy-drama also called Next Goal Wins.
- ^ "Nicky Salapu". FBRef. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
- ^ "Australia 31-0 American Samoa: The loneliest game in history". FourFourTwo. April 9, 2021. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
- ^ "31-0: The scoreline that made American Samoa famous". Football Bloody Hell. March 2, 2019. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
- ^ "Nicky Salapu, la redención del portero humillado" (in Spanish). Libertad Digital. April 11, 2021. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
- ^ "Nicky Salapu, el portero que más motivos tuvo para odiar su trabajo (pero que no lo hizo) #Díainternacionaldelportero". Toni Cruz. April 14, 2017. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
- ^ Montague, James (November 23, 2011). "American Samoa, Winless and at Bottom of Rankings, Wins a World Cup Qualifier". The New York Times. Retrieved October 1, 2018.