Recruited on LinkedIn, set to face Spain - the Dublin-born Cape Verde star — Sport

Lopes (left) celebrates Cape Verde's World Cup qualification with Deroy Duarte

Published 5 hours ago

He was discovered via social media to represent a small island nation located 3,000 miles from his birthplace, and now a former Dublin bank employee is poised to take on Spain at the World Cup.

Roberto Lopes' narrative is so improbable that even Hollywood screenwriters might deem it unbelievable.

"I wasn't finding satisfaction in the job," says the 33-year-old about his office role as he reflects on an incredible, inspiring journey, transitioning from a white-collar professional in the Republic of Ireland to representing Cape Verde at their debut World Cup.

The defender, known by the nickname 'Pico', was a recently certified mortgage advisor a decade ago, playing part-time for Bohemians in the League of Ireland.

Subsequently, in 2017, Dublin rivals Shamrock Rovers presented Lopes with an opportunity to abandon his day job and fully commit to a professional football career.

He has never looked back.

Lopes is anticipated to be in the starting lineup for underdogs Cape Verde when they take on 2010 world champions Spain on Monday in Group H in Atlanta (17:00 BST kick-off).

The former Republic of Ireland Under-19 player made his initial appearances for the Blue Sharks in 2019.

Rui Aguas, the team's head coach at that time, got in touch via the business networking platform LinkedIn after discovering that Lopes' father, Carlos, was originally from Cape Verde – a nation consisting of 10 islands in the Atlantic Ocean off the western coast of Africa.

Lopes with his wife, Leah, and their baby, Diego, after Shamrock Rovers defeated Cork City to claim the 2025 FAI Cup at the Aviva Stadium, Dublin

Former Benfica striker Aguas' initial message was composed in Portuguese, and Lopes, who still plays for Shamrock Rovers, inadvertently ignored him.

"I believed it was a spam message and paid no attention to it," he tells BBC Sport. "And then roughly nine months later, he messaged me again, saying, 'Hi Roberto, have you had an opportunity to consider what I mentioned to you?'.

"I felt extremely impolite for not having responded to him months earlier.

"I copied the message and entered it into Google Translate, and it essentially said, 'We're exploring bringing new players into the Cape Verde squad, and would you be interested in declaring for Cape Verde?'.

"I was absolutely thrilled with that. I thought, 'Yes, 100%, I'd love to be part of the squad'."

It has been an intense few months for Lopes, a consistent starter for the Blue Sharks over the last seven years.

Just days after assisting Cape Verde in securing World Cup qualification, he became a father for the first time when his wife, Leah, gave birth to their son Diego.

"From when I was a young child, and I imagine every aspiring footballer when they were young, they wanted to compete at the highest possible level, and for me, it doesn't get any bigger than the World Cup," adds Lopes.

"Being able to represent my family by playing for the national team and showcasing our family name at one of the biggest sporting events globally fills me with immense pride."

'A historic moment for our country'

Anselmo 'Jair' Ribeiro receives his medal after helping Cape Verde win the Amilcar Cabral Cup in 2000

Cape Verde's presence at the 2026 World Cup, where they will also face Saudi Arabia and Uruguay, is poised to be one of the tournament's uplifting stories, a classic underdog narrative.

When Anselmo 'Jair' Ribeiro played for the Blue Sharks, they were ranked 182nd globally, and the idea of them appearing at the tournament seemed unimaginable.

Jair, who aided his country in winning the Amilcar Cabral Cup – a regional competition for West African nations in 2000 – tells BBC Sport: "I used to tell people where I was from, and they'd ask: 'Where's that?'"

Back then, the former midfielder and forward had to finance his own plane tickets to play for Cape Verde, who are now 67th in the world rankings.

It has been a remarkable ascent for the country – home to roughly 525,000 people – which only joined Fifa in 1986.

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What it means to qualify for the World Cup for the first time

Since then, they have qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations four times, and they are about to become one of the smallest nations by population to ever compete at a World Cup.

Indeed, some locals have compared the former Portuguese colony's participation to the most significant event since independence was achieved on 5 July 1975.

Although football is the premier sport, the Cape Verdean Football Federation has only seven full-time employees, and tickets for international home matches are sold at local bakeries and petrol stations.

"We've been building towards this moment for years," says Jair, now 51. "I think about my grandfather, my grandmother. I get so emotional talking about it because they aren't here to witness this historic moment for our country."

'The rest of the world said: No chance, no way'

Cape Verde are looking to become the first African team since Ghana in 2006 to reach the knockout stages in their maiden World Cup appearance

At Thony's Barbershop in Dorchester, a lively and diverse neighborhood a few minutes' drive from downtown Boston, an inflatable blue and white shark hangs from the ceiling.

The Blue Sharks may appear insignificant at this World Cup compared to powerhouses like Spain, but they are dreaming big in this part of Massachusetts after Fifa expanded the 32-team format to 48 for the finals co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

There are blue, white and red scarves on display, and on one wall is a pennant that reads Federacao Cabo Verdiana de Futebol (Cape Verdean Football Federation).

"My customers don't just come for a haircut – they come to talk," owner Antonio Alves tells BBC Sport.

"We're one big family. We have conversations about life, politics and sport."

Since Cape Verde qualified back in October, there has been only one topic of discussion.

"It means everything that Cape Verde will be playing in the United States at the World Cup," adds Alves, who left his birth nation for America at age 18 before taking over his father's business.

Cape Verdeans arrived in Massachusetts in waves of migration from the 1850s as whalers and seamen. The state is home to the largest Cape Verdean population in the United States, with estimates ranging from roughly 70,000 to over 90,000 residents.

Alves regularly returns to his homeland to support the team and was in the 15,000-capacity national stadium in Praia, the capital, when the Blue Sharks beat Eswatini to secure their spot at the finals, leaving fans in tears of joy.

"The rest of the world said, 'No chance, no way are Cape Verde getting this close'. But here we are," he says.

Alves and his wife, Neuza, have helped fund tickets to allow children across Cape Verde to attend international matches in Praia.

"Every kid playing football in Cape Verde has a dream to become a professional player," he adds. "Every island you go, on every corner, you will find kids playing, some of them barefoot. They just want to play."

Alves will be making the 1,000-mile journey from Boston to Atlanta for Cape Verde's historic first World Cup game, but the giant television in Thony's Barbershop will be showing the game live for the locals to watch.

"There will be free snacks, free drinks, you know, for people to come and enjoy," he says.

"This is the power of sport. There are a lot of people in this community who don't follow football, but they've been coming into the shop to ask questions.

"When's the game? Where's the game? Can I watch? Can I go? Can I come to the shop?

"This is the power of sport, getting people together."

Cape Verde fans Antonio and his wife Neuza have helped fund tickets for children to watch international matches