It has been 17 years since San Marino captain Matteo Vitaioli, the most capped player in the country’s history, made his first appearance for the national team, but he has yet to win a game.

Two decades and 140 games full of crushing defeats and the occasional near-defeat have passed since San Marino, the fifth smallest country in the world, recorded the only victory in the team’s history – a 1-0 friendly win against Liechtenstein.

But Vitaioli and his teammates have a chance to write a new chapter for their country on Thursday when they try to secure their first competitive win against the only opponents they have ever beaten: Liechtenstein, who open their Nations League campaign.

In the FIFA world rankings, the two teams are currently only 11 places apart. Liechtenstein is in 199th place and is currently on a 40-match winning streak.

Surrounded by Italy and dominated by the spectacular Mount Titano, San Marino has a population of just 33,000 and covers just 61 square kilometres – about half the size of Manchester.

According to FIFA’s calculations, the country is home to the worst national football team in the world – a team that is ranked 210th in the world and has lost 196 of its 205 matches.

“The worst memory is the away game against the Netherlands in 2011, which ended 11-0,” Vitaioli tells BBC Sport. “It was already eight or nine o’clock and there was still a lot of time left and I remember the fans cheering for the Netherlands to see more goals.”

“Friends share the same honor – and burden”

San Marino’s only victory to date was a 1-0 friendly win against Liechtenstein in April 2004, when an early goal from Andy Selva, the country’s all-time leading scorer with eight goals, sealed a moment that would go down in history.

The fact that San Marino has had to wait so long since then has not been due to a lack of effort from the predominantly amateur group of players who, regardless of the score, are immensely proud to wear their country’s sky blue shirts.

Vitaioli, a graphic designer by day, recently celebrated the birth of his daughter and is well-versed in balancing international football with the demands of everyday life by training in the evenings after work.

“It’s complicated,” says Vitaioli. “But the love for the national team of your home country and the chance you have as a player on the international stage – there are many professionals who never get the opportunity and honor to play in the games we play – make the sacrifices worthwhile.”

Despite decades without a win, painful double-digit defeats – the worst of which was a 13-0 thrashing by Germany in 2006 – and no hope of qualifying for a major tournament any time soon, the humble origins of San Marino’s players have helped them stick together.

It also means that those seemingly small moments – scoring an inconsequential goal in a heavy defeat, or even securing a goalless draw – become all the more beautiful.

“I have been part of the national team for almost 20 years. The fundamental thing in every group was the team spirit, the ability of the players to form a team,” adds Vitaioli.

“When you play difficult games, they can get complicated, and if you can’t rely on a solid group, those games can hurt a lot.

“We are friends who share the same honor – but also the same burden.”

Signs of improvement

There are signs of progress. San Marino ended a two-year wait for a competitive goal in October, equalising against European Championship semi-finalists Denmark to cheers on the pitch.

La Serenissima – “the Most Serene” – suffered a 2-1 defeat in this 2024 European Championship qualifier, but for the team in sky blue, who had thus taken the first step towards a record-breaking run, the result seemed to be a mere footnote.

They then managed to score in back-to-back matches for the first time in 18 years, also scoring in a 3-1 loss to Kazakhstan. Four days later, they made history when Filippo Berardi scored for the first time in three consecutive matches in a 2-1 loss to Finland in the 97th minute.

“If someone had told me years ago that I would score a few goals on the international stage wearing the San Marino shirt, I would have thought they were stupid and not believed it,” says Berardi, who is now his country’s second-best goalscorer with two goals.

“Scoring a goal on the international stage with San Marino, despite all the difficulties the team has to overcome, is even more emotional than it would be with any other team.

“You only have to look at my very first goal, which I scored against Kazakhstan in 2019. The game was just before the final whistle and we were 3-0 down, but the players were madly chasing a goal that seemed to be useless.”

“I want to dream without limits”

San Marino ultimately failed to improve on its overall record of just one point from the 86 Euro qualifiers it played, and the goalless draw with Estonia in 2014 remains Vitaioli’s fondest memory with the team.

While it’s certainly not just about results for the San Marino players, there’s a feeling that a second win could be getting closer.

“I felt that something had changed in our minds,” said Berardi. “Our self-esteem had increased and I believe we are close to achieving a positive result again, be it a draw or ultimately a win.”

“It would be the ultimate dream to be part of the next San Marino team to celebrate a victory. It would probably be the greatest satisfaction I have ever felt – not only for me, but also for the coach, my teammates and the people of San Marino.”

Coach Roberto Cevoli, appointed in January, hopes to build on this momentum as San Marino looks to turn things around.

Cevoli is proud to lead his home country and says he wants to give back to football in San Marino after starting his career there as a player and manager.

There would be no better way than to end this 20-year wait.

“I want to dream without limits,” says Cevoli.

“I am well aware that the national team is facing difficulties unlike other national teams, but I hope that the progress the team has made can be continued.”