The ‘Blue Sharks’ defender: “We were in a really difficult group and we came out winners on merit. Being able to represent my father on the biggest stage in football is fantastic”
The delirium in the stands, the invasion of the fans on the pitch, the tears of the players, the great celebration in the streets. Cape Verde has just become the protagonist of one of the most beautiful fairy tales in recent football history after obtaining its first qualification for a World Cup. This is an exceptional result considering that it will be the smallest country ever to participate in the World Cup, just think that even Molise is larger in size. The dream of half a million Cape Verdeans came true at the final whistle of the 3-0 win against Eswatini, finishing in first place in the group ahead of Cameroon. From now on the African archipelago will not only be recognized for the beauty of its landscapes, but also for having written its name among the elite of world football. An incredible story of this national team concerns the defender Roberto Lopes, born in Dublin, but naturalized Cape Verdean thanks to his father’s origins. The 92′ class worked in a bank until 2016, before wearing the Shamrock Rovers shirt, of which he became captain. Throughout his career he has always played for Ireland’s youth national teams, but in 2018 everything changed thanks to a message received on LinkedIn. Through his words we can understand the sense of pride and joy of the entire people of Cape Verde for achieving this goal, but upon his return home the best gift that life could give him awaits him: the birth of his first child.
Congratulations on qualifying for the World Cup. How are you feeling right now?
“I really can’t find the words. It’s such a surreal feeling. The relief at the end of the match, the knowledge that we’ve made it. We’re going to the World Cup. I’m over the moon right now. It’s an incredible feeling.”
The match remained deadlocked at 0-0 until half-time. Was there any apprehension or nervousness in the dressing room going into the second half or did you know that you would qualify?
“There were only a few moments of frustration in the first half because the opponents did everything they could to waste time. We couldn’t do anything about it, we just had to concentrate on our job, which we did very well, in my opinion. We had created some opportunities in the first part of the match. We knew that if we continued to play as we were doing in the second half, even more opportunities would come. Luckily that was the case and we made the most of them.”
After the third goal, did you realize that you had accomplished the feat? How did you experience the second half?
“Maybe when the third goal arrived I finally relaxed. Up until that moment, I was only thinking about giving my all until the end. You never know what can happen in football. Then Stopira’s third goal finally arrived, he has a fantastic story: he interrupted his retirement from football to join us in these qualifying matches for the World Cup. He was on the pitch for a few minutes and it was extraordinary, truly incredible. When he came on we knew we were close to the goal, it was just a matter of bringing the game home.”
You were just a boy when Ireland qualified for the World Cup in 2002. What does it mean for the 500,000 inhabitants of Cape Verde to live this dream?
“It’s fantastic, it’s always been the dream of the people. I think since I got involved in this project it was a dream fueled more and more over time, we had the feeling that we could do it. Allowing the people of Cape Verde to follow their country’s team to the biggest sporting event in the world is definitely the most important achievement of my career as a footballer. This gives me an immense sense of pride. Writing history together with this group is a fantastic feeling. We have achieved a great result and you know what’s great about it? We deserved all this, we were in a really difficult group and we came out winners on merit. It is an honorable result and we should be proud of it.”
What happened after the final whistle? How were the celebrations on the pitch, in the locker room and back at the hotel?
“It was a continuous celebration: the explosions of joy at the end of the match, the overwhelming sense of relief that we had made it… It was incredible. I feel a great joy inside me at this moment to be able to celebrate with our people, with our family, with our friends. Yes, it was fantastic on the pitch, we also had a lot of fun in the dressing room when it was just us and it was wonderful on the way back to see the people celebrating outside the bus in the streets. I can’t stop find words that do justice. I hope you see some videos soon because it was just amazing.”
Achieving this achievement under the eyes of his father at the stadium I think was very special. How proud do you think he is of you today?
“Yes, it was really special to have him there with me. He has been through a very long journey and that gave me extra motivation to try and bring home the result. I hope he is very proud of what we have achieved. He is the reason why I play for the Cape Verde national team – to represent them, to represent my family at this level and now on the biggest stage in football is just fantastic.”
Your first call to Cape Verde came in a peculiar way via a message on LinkedIn which you didn’t pay much attention to at first, right?
“Yes. This story became famous recently. It all started in 2018, when I ignored a message received from coach Rui Aguas for nine months because I didn’t understand Portuguese. Luckily he wrote back to me in English and I did what I should have done the first time, which was to translate the first message. I apologized deeply and luckily they responded and welcomed me, now I’m part of the history of this country. It’s incredible to go to a World Cup at 33 years old, even if I’ll have 34 during the tournament. I still can’t find the words. I’m probably the luckiest person in the world.”
He feels this way for another very special reason…
“The funny thing about this week is that football was the last thing on my mind and I really mean it. My wife and I are expecting our first child. It could be born at any time. I enjoyed the celebrations after the game, but I was really looking forward to getting home to hopefully be there for the birth. I can’t wait to celebrate with my friends and family.”
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