When Cape Verde kick off their Africa Cup of Nations campaign against Ghana on Sunday, Roberto Lopes will become the third League of Ireland player to participate in more than one edition of the tournament. “It’s a fantastic feeling to represent the league at the Africa Cup of Nations,” he says.
“It also feels like I am representing Ireland as well as Cape Verde. It is a real nice boost that people from back home take an interest.”
Born in a suburb of Dublin to a Cape Verdean father, Lopes, also known as Pico – “I feel like I am in trouble when anyone calls me Roberto” – is part of a Cape Verde squad filled with talent. Some, like Ryan Mendes, the captain and the team’s most-capped player, were born and raised in the country, while others, like Lopes, whose first call-up came after a LinkedIn message mishap, have roots from around Europe. When the squad qualified for the 2021 edition for the first time in six years, many wrote them off as a small island nation in West Africa that would not amount to much against the continent’s heavy hitters.
But the Blue Sharks were impressive in Cameroon, despite a major Covid outbreak in their camp. “Half our team went down to Yaoundé before the rest could arrive. It was all very unjointed,” says Lopes. They started their campaign with a 1-0 win against Ethiopia and closed out the group stages with a point against the host nation to secure advancement to the knockout stages. “Playing against the hosts in such an atmosphere was incredible. It felt like we were at war.”
Cape Verde fell to the eventual champions, Senegal, in a 2-0 loss in the round of 16. “We felt in the moment that they weren’t at their strongest and that we could cause an upset,” says the Shamrock Rovers centre-back. “Almost like they had a slow start to the tournament and they progressively got stronger.
“I had to come off at half-time because of food poisoning and we had two players sent off. There’s a feeling we could have done more and I think that is still with us in the squad as we head to Ivory Coast.”
This time around, Cape Verde find themselves in Group B alongside Egypt, Ghana and Mozambique. Despite being an unbalanced group on paper,Lopes says: “I never take into account who has more experience at tournaments because it all comes down to the moments that you play against each other. Nothing else comes into account.
“All we were thinking when we drew Mozambique in our group was that they are also a Portuguese-speaking African country. So there’s a bit of a derby and rivalry there between the two countries, which should be an interesting experience.”
Hitting the ground running will be a must for the Blue Sharks. Their match against the Mambas is sandwiched between games against Ghana and Egypt. Those two sides share 11 Afcon trophies between them, the last of them won in 2010, and both are desperate to get their hands on the coveted prize again.
“I grew up with fond memories watching Michael Essien and a few Ghana players will be just as strong to play against,” Lopes says. “There’s also an Irish connection there with Chris Hughton being their manager, so that is a game I am looking forward to.
“And then Egypt have one of the best players in the world, let alone in Africa, in Mo Salah. It’s going to be a tough challenge to come up against him, especially as a defender, but you want to test yourself as a professional footballer. You want to mark yourself off the best and see where you are.”
Leading the charge to take down the Black Stars and the Pharaohs is the manager, Bubista, who encourages his players to “take risks, and to have the bravery to get on the ball in high-pressure situations”.
Lopes says: “He’s been absolutely brilliant since he came in. He gets what it is like to be at tournaments and to travel across Africa. He is very passionate about Cape Verde, which really translates to the team. He creates such a positive atmosphere around the group and makes sure that we’re able to relax in the environment we’re in. Because we know when we’re relaxed, we play our best.”
Bubista’s confidence is reflected in the players and trickles all the way down to the fans, who have made Lopes feel like a “true Cape Verdean” when they chant his name from the stands. When asked what makes the Blue Sharks unique, the 31-year-old’s answer is immediate and unwavering: “We’re all willing to die for each other on the pitch and go above and beyond in terms of work rate.
“But there’s a boldness as well. Just because we are a small nation, it does not mean we can’t play football. We know we have players that can hurt teams. At this level it’s not good enough to sit behind and let the game go by you. You need to take part in it.”
