Garry Rodrigues #11

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There are more players born in Rotterdam than any other city in the Cape Verde squad and Rodrigues is the elder statesman of the group, becoming the first Dutch-born player to represent the Blue Sharks in 2013. But for the mercurial winger, there was only one nation he ever wanted to represent. “My father was always there for me with my football and it was a dream for him that I would play for the Cape Verdean team,” he told FourFourTwo in 2024. Despite coming through Feyenoord’s prestigious Varkenoord academy he failed to secure a professional contract for almost four years after being released. He played amateur football in The Netherlands while working night shifts in the Dutch postal service. Sixteen years on from that he has enjoyed a career that has taken him to clubs such as Galatasaray, Fenerbahce and Olympiacos while amassing more than 60 caps for Cape Verde.

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