Banker, Believer, Blue Shark: Pico Lopes and the Run That Won't Stop

Cabo Verde vet "Pico" Lopes (foreground) is part of a steady presence in the Blue Sharks climb (photo: Sofia Cupertino for the SDH Network)

Pico Lopes is part of the Cabo Verde backline that held Spain goalless in what is being referred to as one of the most unexpected results in World Cup history. The backline seemed comfortable, not resigned, to the idea of knowing Spain was going to act like how Reese described the original "Terminator" in the first film of the series, as he was trying to protect Sarah Connor:

"It can't be bargained with. It can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop... ever..."

Lopes' numbers, part of Bubista's collective, disciplined approach to defending: 16 defensive contributions, 2 interceptions, 11 clearances, 3 blocks, and a recovery, winning both of his aerial duels over 90 minutes.

In the clean sheet draw against a World Cup co-favorite, the Opta supercomputer ran 25,000 pre-match simulations. Spain were victorious 87.2% of the time. Cabo Verde got a draw just 8.1% of the time. But the supercomputer didn't get the chance to notice Lopes would be part of a defense that would only commit one foul total in the match, even as Spain had possession for almost 75 percent of the time.

Pico Lopes has done all that and more, and always with a smile on his face. He has immersed himself in this World Cup experience because he knows how hard he has worked to get here, through the good times and the bad.

As Cathal Dervan, editor of The Sports Hacks on Substack, put it in his coverage of the match, Lopes has become exactly the kind of player a tournament run reveals.

Lopes is seven years into this chapter of an adventure after being convinced contact about the Cabo Verde national team via LinkedIn wasn't a prank. Nine months later, when the national team reached out in English instead of Portuguese, he listened, and has become a veteran presence in this run to World Cup qualification and worldwide recognition.

Now, the run includes an instant classic where Nhô Roque was not about to allow the day at Atlanta Stadium to be anything but pride for Cabo Verde and rough seas for Spain going forward.

"We knew we couldn't switch off for a moment because they would punish us and they're a great team and they had so much to the ball," Pico told SDH after the match. "But we knew that if we were organized defensively, we could frustrate them. And right, they were hoping to catch some of the counterattack, but as far as it was difficult for that."

Lopes was at a crossroads in his career about a decade ago. He was working in the banking industry, playing part-time, and had a choice. The dedication to his craft in football from then has weaved from a successful career at Shamrock Rovers, to a LinkedIn message reply, to qualifying for the World Cup as the son of a Cabo Verdean father and an Irish mother, and now seeing dreams turn into an eye-opening reality after Monday afternoon.

"It's a really proud moment for me and my family, and to have the support that I've had, it really means the most."

Pico has immersed himself in the Cabo Verdean culture, taking Portuguese lessons, studying the Creole dialect, and watching Portuguese television programs on Netflix when he has the chance. But now he gets the chance to circle back to a land his father Carlos left as a teenager, as a son, a father, and a flagbearer, one of 26 who can say without fail that futures begin with belief.

And belief can be a hell of a partner when you look at all the work you've put in along the way, on the field and off it.

Lopes celebrating with Vozinha and the Cabo Verde fans in Atlanta. (photo: Sofia Cupertino for the SDH Network)

"It just goes to show we can mix it with some of the best teams in the world. Will it be difficult...? Yes, 100%. It was like what we know this is. It's the World Cup. The biggest teams and the best teams are here and we're here as well. So we have to be here to compete and we'll enjoy today. But the most important thing now is to recover and focus Uruguay."

That means a trip to Miami and a Sunday afternoon kick to take another step to the knockouts in a debut season like no other. From mortgages to "morabeza," the island saying of "no stress," that approach has carried Lopes and Cabo Verde through a lot.

There is no intention of stopping now...