Pico Lopes, a 33-year-old defender for Dublin, has become the first player ever to reach that remarkable milestone. Plus, he has helped to qualify the Cape Verde national team for the FIFA World Cup! This is his first Cup — his first World Cup at any level. It’s an incredible accomplishment for him personally and for the team, which currently sits at 70th on FIFA world rankings. On the national team, Lopes has represented Cape Verde proudly at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) twice. In 2023, he was integral in helping them reach the quarter-finals.
Lopes debuted for the Cape Verde national team on 11 October 2019, coming on as a substitute in a friendly versus Togo. His competitive footballing debut with Cape Verde was delayed as he had previously played for the Republic of Ireland U19 national team. This added to the paperwork and prolonged the wait for him to receive his first senior caps. He set a record for the longest gap of 533 days between his first two caps for the national team. Despite these challenges, Lopes was able to earn 41 caps for the Cape Verde national team.
Bubista, the head coach of Cape Verde, has been instrumental in Lopes’ development as a player for the national team. Lopes was bullish on Bubista’s skills at the managerial helm. He’s a great manager and a great man and people in Cape Verde respect him tremendously for his extraordinary management skills. This relationship appears to have fostered a sense of trust, with Lopes asserting, “I give my all down there and I like to think he sees that in me, that he can put a bit of trust in me, that I’m not there to mess around.”
Though Cape Verde’s path to World Cup qualification has carried its own share of mountainous obstacles. Lopes remembers the low point of that qualifying campaign, a first round match in Puerto Rico that saw them thrashed 4-1 by a powerful side. “We played them away in this qualifying campaign and they bashed us 4-1, with a really strong team,” Lopes reflected. He remained optimistic about their capabilities, noting the talent within their squad: Carlos Baleba had a great tournament, and Bryan Mbeumo was really good too, but we felt, way down in Cape Verde, we could handle them.
Lopes truly flourished in his club and international career while playing for Shamrock Rovers in Ireland. He won four league titles and developed priceless experience playing in European competition. He acknowledged that a transition from club football to the international stage was cause for initial concerns. Their worries mainly focused on the breakdown of communication among the Cape Verde team. Though daunting, he rose to this challenge and became one of the core contributors to the team’s success.
“It’s the fabric of our dreams, it really is,” said Lopes about their qualification for the World Cup. His feelings of pride, though, go beyond the personal and speak to the overall achievement of the Cape Verde squad. And with that success comes inspiration – other eligible players. Others are looking to follow in Cape Verde’s footsteps, stocking up on new talent from France and Holland to bolster the squad. Lopes said, “Those players eligible to play for Cape Verde began taking that path. And we attracted the best players, as far as the really excellent French and Dutch were want to join this.
From the start of his tenure with Cape Verde, Lopes has had a long-term and ambitious vision for what his players could achieve on the world stage. And, despite not getting the fanfare of more recognized names, he’s confident that they are more than able to make big moves. “I don’t think we are underrated – people just aren’t aware of us,” he remarked.
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