‘That's my dream!’ A Florida boy woke up before dawn for four years to earn $2 per chore. His goal? To buy tickets to a Uruguay World Cup match

Sanabria was six when he decided he wanted to save money to watch the World Cup in person in North America. Hosting responsibilities for this iteration of the tournament are split between the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.

Back then, the 2022 World Cup was hosted by Qatar. He had just finished watching Uruguay win a match at the tournament when he informed his mom, Carolina, about his master plan. So, she made him a deal: For every chore he completed, she would give him $2 that he could put towards tickets.

“So every day before school, I would wake up at 6 a.m. and make my bed, prepare my breakfast, take out the trash, wash the dishes,” he told People in an interview.

Fast forward to 2026, he had saved over $600 by doing chores and also saved holiday and birthday gifts. With that money, he purchased two pairs of tickets to Uruguay’s matches against Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde on June 15 and June 21 in Miami.

“Oh my God. I jumped in the pool. I started doing flips all around the house. I was crazy happy,” he said.

Training with the pros

Valentino has always had a passion for soccer, his mother told People. By the time he was six, he didn’t want to play any other sport.

He now plays for a youth travel team where he plays as an attacker, either as a winger or a striker. He dreams of one day becoming a professional.

On June 11, his team got a chance to play against professionals when they participated in a scrimmage against the Curacao national team, who were training at nearby Florida Atlantic University.

That experience followed the opportunity Valentino had to meet the Uruguayan national team two years ago when the team was in Miami for the 2024 Copa America — an international tournament organized by CONMEBOL, South America’s soccer governing body.

His love for Uruguay stems from his father, who lives in the country, as well as other family members, he said.