By Mohamed Yossry
July 2 (Reuters) - When Paraguay face France in the World Cup round of 16 on Sunday, goalkeeper Orlando Gill will have more than victory on his mind.
Alongside a place in the quarter-finals, he hopes to be reunited with a cherished jersey from his youth international career, one he was forced to sell years ago as he struggled to make ends meet.
Following Gill's senior Paraguay debut in September 2025, his partner Melissa Avalos revealed the sacrifices behind his rise, saying he had
sold his sports gear to support the family while their newborn son fought serious health issues.
Months later, the goalkeeper would become Paraguay's hero in a dramatic penalty-shootout win over Germany.
"Our son fought for his life, and his father was always by his side," Avalos wrote on Instagram after Gill made his Paraguay debut against Peru in a World Cup qualifier.
"He sold everything, his Under-20 national team jersey, which he couldn't even keep as a souvenir, as well as his clothes and football boots. He literally sold everything."
Gill's path to the Paraguay national team was anything but smooth.
The 26-year-old failed to break through at Paraguay's San Lorenzo before joining Argentine side San Lorenzo in 2024, where an unexpected opportunity would transform his career.
Media reports said Gill was thrust into the starting role after Facundo Altamirano's injury and San Lorenzo's failed attempts to sign Keylor Navas and Andries Noppert.
Gill kept nine clean sheets in 16 Torneo Apertura matches, earning his first international call-up before becoming Paraguay's first-choice goalkeeper under Gustavo Alfaro.
His World Cup campaign began with a 4-1 defeat by co-hosts the United States, but he bounced back with clean sheets against Turkey and Australia to help Paraguay advance from Group D as one of the best third-placed teams and set up a showdown with four-time champions Germany.
After Gill produced a heroic display and then saved penalties from Kai Havertz and Nick Woltemade, inflicting Germany's first-ever World Cup shootout defeat, the story of how he once sold his sports gear to support his family resurfaced.
It was revealed that his old Under-20 jersey had been bought by his friend Pedro Suarez.
Suarez, who purchased the jersey for 200,000 guarani ($32.90), said he had messaged Gill to tell him he would return it free of charge.
"I told him, 'Don't worry about the shirt, I'll keep it safe for you,'" Suarez told NPY. "'But you have to beat France.'"
Standing in Gill's way is perhaps the tournament's most formidable attack, led by Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise and joint top scorer Kylian Mbappe.
($1 = 6,079.9000 guarani)
(Reporting by Mohamed Yossry Editing by Christian Radnedge)
