In the early 1990s, he founded the fan base "Gaúchos na Copa". Already known in South America, he gained great international fame after the semi-finals of the 2014 FIFA World Cup between Brazil and Germany. After the defeat, he was photographed crying with the trophy in his arms. This picture of Brazil's "most sad fan" has been seen by many international media as a symbol of Brazil's historic 1-7 defeat in this semi-final. After the game, he gave his trophy, which he took for years to every game, to a German fan, but received it back for the next game.