How a LinkedIn message made Roberto Lopes one of Cape Verde's World Cup heroes

Roberto Lopes anchored Cape Verde's defence in a goalless World Cup draw against Spain. However, this moment almost didn't happen for the 33-year-old as he almost ignored a LinkedIn message from Cape Verde FA to play for the team.

In Short

• Lopes and Vozinha held firm as Cape Verde frustrated Spain on debut
• A late block from Lopes preserved a famous goalless draw
• Cape Verde first contacted Lopes through an unexpected LinkedIn message

Roberto Lopes was one of the heroes for Cape Verde during their 0-0 draw against Spain in the World Cup 2026 clash on Monday, June 15. Lopes was solid and marshalled the defence alongside goalkeeper Vozinha as the African nation stunned the former World Champions to claim a point on their World Cup debut.

SPAIN VS CAPE VERDE HIGHLIGHTS

Lopes made a crucial block in the final few minutes of the game to ensure that Spain were left frustrated and unable to break the deadlock. But this moment for the central defender almost didn't happen as a message on LinkedIn changed the story for the 33-year-old.

HOW LOPES ALMOST LOST HIS WORLD CUP DREAM

The story goes like this. Long before becoming a World Cup defender for Cape Verde, Roberto Lopes received a life-changing approach from the national federation via LinkedIn.

However, since the message was in Portuguese, he thought it was a spam message and decided to ignore. At this time, he was playing in the League of Ireland for Bohemian FC and was even working as a mortgage advisor. But once he got a follow up message from Cape Verde FA in English, he realised it was an offer to represent the Blue Sharks on the international level.

"Nine months later they messaged me back in English asking if I had thought about the proposal, and it was only then that I did what I should have done originally and Google-translated the original message asking if I would be interested in declaring for Cape Verde," a laughing Lopes told Reuters in a telephone interview prior to the tournament."

"It was a weird angle to come at (via LinkedIn); it was explained to me afterwards that they had difficulty contacting my club, but when I saw the opportunity was there in front of me, I was 100% behind it from the minute one, and we got working on getting all the necessary documentation across."

Lopes became eligible to play for Cape Verde as his father was born in the African nation. Lopes, fondly known as Pico, made his debut for Cape Verde in 2019 and has never looked back after that moment.

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