Roberto ‘Pico’ Lopes #4

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Surely a lot of Irish people will be supporting Cape Verde at the World Cup, thanks to the boy from Crumlin, via São Nicolau. Roberto ‘Pico’ Lopes was born and raised in Dublin but was called up to the Blue Sharks for the first time via LinkedIn. “I didn’t understand. I just thought it was a welcome message… so I ignored it,” Pico told CNN in 2024. The Shamrock Rovers defender finally put the Portuguese message through Google Translate nine months later and has not looked back after making his international debut in 2019. The shirt-tucked-in, no-nonsense centre back has become a mainstay at the heart of the Cape Verdean defence ever since, playing in both the 2021 and 2023 Afcons. It’s a remarkable rise for the 34-year-old who a decade ago was working as a mortgage advisor while playing football part-time. Despite not speaking any Portuguese and slowly learning Kriol, Pico is a fan favourite and as one of the federation’s vice presidents told the Guardian, “a future captain” of the Blue Sharks.

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