"Vozinha, I need you to send a little message to your former club in Cape Verde so I can fulfil my dream." The request from Nicolas Abot, known as 'The Football Backpacker', sums up the next goal in an extraordinary career.
The Argentine forward has spent almost two decades travelling the world through football and is pursuing a feat that could put him in the record books: scoring at least one goal on every continent.
In an exclusive interview with Flashscore, Abot looked back on the experiences that shaped his career, the difficulties of playing far from home and the challenge that still remains. After playing for 43 clubs in 14 countries, Africa is the only continent where he has yet to score.
Africa, the final destination
Abot has set his sights on Cape Verde. To take that step, he needs to find a team that will allow him to join an African league and give him the chance to score. That is why he decided to turn to Cape Verdean goalkeeper Vozinha, hoping he can put him in touch with one of his former clubs.
The goal goes beyond adding another country to his journey. Abot wants to complete the challenge of scoring on all five continents and hopes the feat can be recognised by Guinness World Records. Any eventual entry in the record book would, however, require official verification and recognition.
He said he had researched the achievements of other footballers and found the case of German goalkeeper Lutz Pfannenstiel, known for having played on every continent, although as a goalkeeper he did not have the opportunity to score on all of them. Abot believes scoring a goal on each continent would be a unique achievement, and he wants to find out how far his own story can go.
A career off the traditional path
Abot's adventure began in 2007, when he left Olimpo in Argentina to play in Costa Rica. Since then, his career has taken him to very different destinations, with cultures, languages and working conditions that varied from one country to the next.
He never came through the AFA youth divisions or played in Argentina's top flight, but he did compete in the Copa Sudamericana and built an international career that few footballers can match.
That journey also brought difficult moments. He particularly remembers his time in Latvia, where he endured temperatures as low as 20 degrees below zero. He also recounted contractual problems and an incident linked to a pre-season match and betting that, according to his account, resulted in him being placed on a list that prevented him from playing.
Without an agent, driven by persistence
Unlike other footballers, Abot does not have an agent to find him clubs. He handles everything himself, contacting clubs, researching contract conditions and looking for opportunities.
That task requires persistence: calling numerous teams, assessing offers and learning how to operate in very different markets. Over almost 20 years in the game, he estimates that there were around 10 occasions when he was not paid what he was owed.
He also learned to adapt off the pitch. He speaks Spanish, Italian and English and acknowledges that when an Argentine arrives in another country, finding someone to share a mate, a barbecue or a conversation in his own language can make all the difference.
Travel essentials
Among the things he usually takes on his travels are yerba, football boots and training accessories. The tradition of drinking mate has accompanied him even in places as far away as Thailand, where he once had to dry the yerba in the sun so he could reuse it.
Throughout his journey, he has also collected some special sporting memories. He highlights his time in Venezuela, where he played in the top flight and competed in the Copa Sudamericana; the experience of doing so at Uruguay's Centenario Stadium; and a Bolivian clasico with Blooming in front of around 45,000 spectators. Not everything was ideal: at that last destination, he also encountered issues related to payments.
Loco Abreu and a different way of measuring success
When asked about Sebastian 'Loco' Abreu, Abot takes it in good humour. "Loco and I need to have a barbecue and drink mate."
He acknowledges that the former Uruguayan forward's career is on another level, but he also wants to show that you do not need to reach that level to make a living from football and pursue what you love.
For Abot, his story is not measured solely by the clubs he played for or the titles he managed to win. Above all, it is about maintaining a passion despite the obstacles and having the courage to seek out new destinations when an opportunity arises.
"I look at the ones I won, because the ones we lose... If we are afraid of losing things, we will never go for a little bit more," he reflected.
And he described football as something much bigger than a profession. "Football is a way of life for me. It opened many doors for me, but above all, it gave me the love to fight for what I want."
The backpack remains packed. Now, Abot hopes his message to Vozinha will open a door for him in Cape Verde. On the other side of that potential contract, he would find more than just a new destination: he would find the goal he needs to complete his journey around the world and pursue the record he dreams of making history with.