From Dublin bank worker to World Cup: Roberto Lopes' remarkable Cape Verde journey

Cape Verde defender Roberto Lopes is preparing for the biggest match of his career against Spain at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, completing a remarkable journey that began behind a desk in a Dublin bank.A decade ago, the 33-year-old was working as a mortgage adviser while playing part-time football for Bohemians in the League of Ireland."I was not enjoying the work," Lopes recalled.His career took a decisive turn in 2017 when Shamrock Rovers offered him a full-time contract, allowing him to leave banking behind and pursue football professionally.Another life-changing moment came two years later when former Cape Verde coach Rui Aguas contacted him through LinkedIn after discovering his father, Carlos, was Cape Verdean.Lopes initially ignored the message."I thought it was a spam message and I took no notice of it," he said.guas contacted him again months later."I copied the message and put it into Google Translate and it basically said, 'We're looking at getting new players into the Cape Verde squad and would you be interested in declaring for Cape Verde?'"I was absolutely buzzing with that.

I was like, 'Yep, 100% I'd love to be a part of the squad.'"Lopes has since become a regular for the Blue Sharks and is now expected to start against Spain in Cape Verde's historic World Cup debut."Being able to represent my family playing for the national team and being able to put our family name out there at one of the biggest sporting events in the world fills me with great pride," he said.