Nicky Salapu

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Nicky Salapu

| fullname = Nicky Vitolio Salapu

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1980|9|13}}{{cite web |url=https://fbref.com/en/players/0bc9f4b1/Nicky-Salapu |title=Nicky Salapu |publisher=FBRef |access-date=February 12, 2023}}

| birth_place = Pago Pago, American Samoa

| height =

| position = Goalkeeper

| youthyears1 =

| youthclubs1 =

| years1 = 2000–2011

| clubs1 = PanSa East

| caps1 =

| goals1 =

| years2 = 2011–2013

| clubs2 = Mitra Kukar

| caps2 =

| goals2 =

| years3 = 2013–????

| clubs3 = PanSa East

| caps3 =

| goals3 =

| years4 = ????–

| clubs4 = Royal Puma

| caps4 =

| goals4 =

| nationalyears1 = 2001–

| nationalteam1 = American Samoa

| nationalcaps1 = 24

| nationalgoals1 = 0

}}

Nicky Vitolio Salapu (born September 13, 1980) is an American Samoan footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for ASFA Soccer League club PanSa East, which he captains, and the American Samoa national football team. He previously played for PanSa East from 2000 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.{{cite web |url=https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/australia-31-0-american-samoa-the-loneliest-game-in-history |title=Australia 31-0 American Samoa: The loneliest game in history |publisher=FourFourTwo |date=April 9, 2021 |access-date=February 16, 2023}}{{cite web |url=https://footballbh.net/2019/03/02/31-0-american-samoa-australia-famous-long-reads/ |title=31-0: The scoreline that made American Samoa famous |publisher=Football Bloody Hell |date=March 2, 2019 |access-date=February 12, 2023}}{{cite web |url=https://www.libertaddigital.com/deportes/futbol/2021-04-11/nicky-salapu-la-redencion-del-portero-humillado-6743741/ |title=Nicky Salapu, la redención del portero humillado |publisher=Libertad Digital |language=es |date=April 11, 2021 |access-date=February 12, 2023}}

Salapu conceded a total of 91 goals in the 2002 and 2006 World Cup qualifiers,{{cite web |url=https://tonicruzprensa.com/2017/04/14/nicky-salapu-el-portero-que-mas-motivos-tuvo-para-odiar-su-trabajo-pero-que-no-lo-hizo-diainternacionaldelportero/ |title=Nicky Salapu, el portero que más motivos tuvo para odiar su trabajo (pero que no lo hizo) #Díainternacionaldelportero |publisher=Toni Cruz |date=April 14, 2017 |access-date=February 12, 2023}} 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."{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/24/sports/soccer/american-samoa-winless-and-ranked-last-earns-victory-in-a-world-cup-qualifier.html|title=American Samoa, Winless and at Bottom of Rankings, Wins a World Cup Qualifier|last=Montague|first=James|work=The New York Times |date=November 23, 2011 |access-date=October 1, 2018|language=en}}

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.

Club career

Salapu played for PanSa East for eleven years, beginning in 2000 and terminating in 2011. Despite rumors circulating online about Salapu joining Austrian club SC Mauerbach in 2008, Salapu contradicted those claims in an interview with Marca in 2011.{{Cite web |title=Salapu: "Aquello es algo de lo que no me gusta hablar" - MARCA.com |url=https://www.marca.com/2011/04/26/futbol/futbol_internacional/1303839591.html |access-date=2025-01-11 |website=Marca}} In 2011, he went to play for Mitra Kukar, a club playing in the Indonesia Super League (ISL), which is a fully professional football competition as the top tier of the football league pyramid in Indonesia. Salapu returned to PanSa East in 2013.

International career

Salapu conceded 31 goals to Australia in a 2002 World Cup qualifying match on April 11, 2001, which became a world record that still stands to this day.{{Cite news|url=http://backpagefootball.com/31-0-plight-american-samoa/92410/|title=31-0 – The plight of American Samoa – Back Page Football|date=March 13, 2015|work=Back Page Football|access-date=October 1, 2018|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/finally-making-history-for-all-the-right-reasons-20111125-1nz0s.html|title=Finally making history for all the right reasons|last=Cockerill|first=Michael|date=November 25, 2011|website=The Sydney Morning Herald|language=en|access-date=October 1, 2018}} Salapu later said that he hid tears from his teammates.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/68761702|title=The keeper who conceded 31 goals in a game|via=www.bbc.co.uk}}

In 2007, Salapu missed his flight from Hawaii to the South Pacific Games in Samoa. Because he could not make it on time, he was replaced by the 17-year-old Jordan Penitusi. He was not eligible to play until he arrived for the last match of American Samoa in the South Pacific Games with Tonga, but there he was an unused substitute.{{cite web |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-soccer-oceania-world-idUSSP28232120070829 |title=Coach of world's worst team must grin and bear it |publisher=Reuters |author= Mark Gleeson |date=August 29, 2007 |access-date=February 12, 2023}} In November 2011, Salapu was the goalkeeper when American Samoa won its first ever full FIFA match, a 2–1 win over Tonga during the first round of the OFC qualifiers for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. In 2015, he was called up as substitute goalkeeper for the 2018 World Cup Qualifiers.

He represented American Samoa at the 2019 Pacific Games in Apia.{{cite web |url=https://footballoceania.com/2019/07/10/interview-american-samoas-nicky-salapu-and-jaiyah-saelua-on-their-love-of-the-game/ |title=INTERVIEW: American Samoa's Nicky Salapu and Jaiyah Saelua on their love of the game |publisher=Football in Oceania |date=July 10, 2019 |access-date=February 12, 2023}}{{cite web |url=https://www.samoanews.com/sports/american-samoa-mens-national-team-ready-play |title=American Samoa men's National Team ready to play |publisher=Samoa News |date=July 7, 2019 |access-date=February 12, 2023}} Salapu has been selected for the American Samoan team at the 2023 Pacific Games in Honiara.{{cite web |url=https://www.abc.net.au/pacific/programs/pacificbeat/amsam-salapu/101753288 |title=More than 20 years after his Australian nightmare, keeper's enthusiasm for representing American Samoa shows no signs of wavering |publisher=ABC |date=December 9, 2022 |access-date=February 12, 2023}}