The LinkedIn Message That Took Pico Lopes to the World Cup
- Frank Osborne
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
An unread message from Cabo Verde changed the Irish defender’s career, taking him from banking to the FIFA World Cup and a date with Lionel Messi.
The LinkedIn notification sat unread for months.
Roberto “Pico” Lopes assumed it was spam.
It turned out to be an invitation that would eventually put him across from Lionel Messi on the biggest stage in world football.
Born to an Irish mother and a father from Cabo Verde, Lopes was building a successful life in Ireland. After earning a degree in Leisure Management at the Dublin Institute of Technology, he balanced a playing career with Bohemians FC while also working in banking. He then got his move to Shamrock Rovers in 2016, where he would become captain of the champions of Ireland.
Like many professionals, Lopes kept his LinkedIn profile updated. One day, he received a message written entirely in Portuguese. Assuming it was spam, and unable to understand it, Lopes ignored it.
Unbeknownst to him, it was a message from then-Cabo Verde head coach Rui Águas.
Águas was looking to strengthen the national team and had identified Lopes through his family ties to the islands. He wanted to gauge Lopes’ interest in representing the Blue Sharks.
Nine months later, Lopes received another message from Águas, this time in English.
Lopes later explained that he copied the initial message into Google Translate and realized it was essentially asking whether he would be interested in declaring for Cabo Verde.
“I was absolutely buzzing with that,” Lopes said. “I was like, ‘Yep, 100%, I’d love to be a part of the squad.’”
Like many smaller football nations, Cabo Verde has relied on its diaspora to deepen the talent pool. Players born across Portugal, France, the Netherlands and Ireland have become central to the national team’s rise. Lopes’ story was not unique in that sense, but it perfectly demonstrated how international football often stretches across multiple continents.
After gathering the necessary documentation to prove his eligibility, Lopes made his debut in a 2-0 win over Togo.
Eight years later, Lopes has 49 caps for Cabo Verde and is one of the team’s most experienced players.
Cabo Verde arrived at the World Cup as a complete underdog. They left the group stage unbeaten, holding European champions Spain to a famous 0-0 draw in Atlanta that introduced the Blue Sharks to the world. Another valuable point against Uruguay, followed by a second clean sheet against Saudi Arabia, sent them into the knockout rounds.
Most of the attention, unsurprisingly, went to viral goalkeeper Vozinha after his seven saves against Spain. But Lopes delivered a sensational performance that went under the radar, recording 16 defensive contributions and helping keep Spain’s attack scoreless.
Eager to prove it was not a one-off, Lopes recorded 19 defensive contributions against a strong Uruguay team, putting Cabo Verde in position to qualify for the knockout stages of the World Cup for the first time. Against Saudi Arabia, Cabo Verde completed an unbeaten group stage and secured another clean sheet, with Lopes recording eight defensive contributions and helping the Blue Sharks finish second in the group — something few expected at the start of June.
Then came Argentina.
The defending world champions presented Cabo Verde with their biggest challenge yet, led by Messi. Lopes spent much of the evening tracking the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner as Cabo Verde pushed Argentina into extra time in one of the tournament’s most compelling and memorable matches.
Eight years after ignoring a message he could not read, Roberto “Pico” Lopes walked off the field having spent two hours trying to stop Lionel Messi.
Careers are often mapped out through academies, scouts and transfer windows.
His began with a LinkedIn notification he almost deleted.
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