DORAL, Fla. (WSVN) — A Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office deputy is speaking out days after video of her singing to her native Uruguay’s national anthem during a World Cup game went viral on social media.
The heartwarming moment of pride showed MDSO Deputy Silvia Nadal singing her heart out with fans and supporting the South American country where she was born.
“You can take the Uruguayan out of Uruguay, but you cannot take Uruguay out of an Uruguayan,” she told 7News.
The wholesome encounter played out Monday at Miami Stadium in Miami Gardens, known outside the FIFA World Cup as Hard Rock Stadium, during a match between Uruguay and Saudi Arabia.
Nadal says she was working a security shift when the crowd began signing Uruguay’s national anthem. With a bright smile on her face, she decided to join in.
“It just came out of me. I was singing it along, and I was happy; I mean, I’m always happy, but it was a very special moment. I had no idea I was being recorded,” she said.
That recording of her singing would eventually be uploaded online, where it’s now exploding with millions of interactions.
“I went to sleep, and I wake up, and I’m like, ‘Wow, these social media platforms rule the world,'” she said.
At one point, a member of the Uruguayan Football Association even gifted Nadal a national team pin which, she said, she kissed and then proudly pinned to her uniform.
“I was super emotional, I teared up when they were singing the national anthem, and then people just chanting and wearing their jerseys right in front of me, it was a lot,” she said.
When asked about her newfound stardom, Nadal said she is just a regular person who comes from a proud futbol-loving family, and she’s just grateful to live out her childhood dreams of seeing her team play.
“Every time I see my country play, it just moves something inside of me that is very hard to understand if you’re not born in South America,” she said.
The video, which was originally posted to FIFA’s Instagram account, has already surpassed more than 10 million views and 260,000 likes as of Thursday afternoon. Those numbers are still climbing.
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