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In the aftermath of Cape Verde pulling off one of the most shocking draws in FIFA World Cup history versus Spain, some great stories are starting to come out about the Blue Sharks.
One of them has to do with Cape Verde star Roberto Lopes, who was actually recruited to the team through the social media app, LinkedIn.
According to ITV Football, Cape Verde’s former manager, Rui Aguas, direct messaged Lopes on the social media platform after finding out his father was born in the country that has a population of around 491,000 people.
What makes this story even better is the fact that Lopes ignored the message for nine whole months because he thought it was spam and nearly missed his opportunity to play for Cape Verde.
MORE: Bettor lands massive 7-figure payout after Cape Verde-Spain draw
“He dropped a welcome message in Portuguese, which I didn’t speak at the time, and I just assumed it was like, thanks for connecting with me sort of message or spam, and I rudely ignored it. Just thought it was nothing,” Lopes said.
“Went on with my life for about nine months until he messaged me again, this time in English, asked if I’d thought about the opportunity and I did what I should have done the first time, and just copied and pasted it into Google translate,” Lopes added.
“I did that and I messaged him as quick as I could, apologized profusely, and said, ‘Look, if the opportunity is still available, I’d love to be a part of this,'” Lopes recalled. “Three weeks later, I was in Marseille making my debut for Cape Verde.”
Had Lopes not eventually followed up on the message, he would have missed out on one of the most stunning results in the history of the World Cup.
June 15, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.; Cape Verde’s Vozinha celebrates after the match. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Spain was widely viewed as one of the favorites to win the World Cup this year and sits at No. 3 in the FIFA rankings.
As for Cape Verde, the Blue Sharks made their World Cup debut this year and were ranked at No. 64 in the world.
MORE: Cape Verde’s Vozinha gets insane Instagram growth after draw with Spain
That’s right, Cape Verde had never qualified for a World Cup in its history, and when it finally did, it tied a powerhouse like Spain in its very first match.
Just a truly incredible story.
June 15, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.; Cape Verde’s Steven Moreira celebrates after the match with Logan Costa. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
After the 0-0 draw with Spain, Cape Verde has earned one point in Group H, an unexpected result to say the least.
Cape Verde will continue its World Cup action against Uruguay on Sunday, June 21, at 6 p.m. ET, and then will finish off the group play stage with a match against Saudi Arabia on Friday, June 26, at 8 p.m. ET.
Meanwhile, Spain will look to rebound against Saudi Arabia on June 21.
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One of them has to do with Cape Verde star Roberto Lopes, who was actually recruited to the team through the social media app, LinkedIn.
According to ITV Football, Cape Verde’s former manager, Rui Aguas, direct messaged Lopes on the social media platform after finding out his father was born in the country that has a population of around 491,000 people.
What makes this story even better is the fact that Lopes ignored the message for nine whole months because he thought it was spam and nearly missed his opportunity to play for Cape Verde.
MORE: Bettor lands massive 7-figure payout after Cape Verde-Spain draw
“He dropped a welcome message in Portuguese, which I didn’t speak at the time, and I just assumed it was like, thanks for connecting with me sort of message or spam, and I rudely ignored it. Just thought it was nothing,” Lopes said.
“Went on with my life for about nine months until he messaged me again, this time in English, asked if I’d thought about the opportunity and I did what I should have done the first time, and just copied and pasted it into Google translate,” Lopes added.
“I did that and I messaged him as quick as I could, apologized profusely, and said, ‘Look, if the opportunity is still available, I’d love to be a part of this,'” Lopes recalled. “Three weeks later, I was in Marseille making my debut for Cape Verde.”
Had Lopes not eventually followed up on the message, he would have missed out on one of the most stunning results in the history of the World Cup.
How improbable was a Spain-Cape Verde draw?
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June 15, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.; Cape Verde’s Vozinha celebrates after the match. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Spain was widely viewed as one of the favorites to win the World Cup this year and sits at No. 3 in the FIFA rankings.
As for Cape Verde, the Blue Sharks made their World Cup debut this year and were ranked at No. 64 in the world.
MORE: Cape Verde’s Vozinha gets insane Instagram growth after draw with Spain
That’s right, Cape Verde had never qualified for a World Cup in its history, and when it finally did, it tied a powerhouse like Spain in its very first match.
Just a truly incredible story.
What’s next for Cape Verde?
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June 15, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.; Cape Verde’s Steven Moreira celebrates after the match with Logan Costa. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
After the 0-0 draw with Spain, Cape Verde has earned one point in Group H, an unexpected result to say the least.
Cape Verde will continue its World Cup action against Uruguay on Sunday, June 21, at 6 p.m. ET, and then will finish off the group play stage with a match against Saudi Arabia on Friday, June 26, at 8 p.m. ET.
Meanwhile, Spain will look to rebound against Saudi Arabia on June 21.
Continue reading...
