He ignored a Linkedin message once but not the second time. When Roberto ‘Pico’ Lopes responded, his life changed forever
Born and raised in Dublin, Roberto “Pico” Lopes had long given up hope of representing the Republic of Ireland at the senior international level, for whom he had starred at junior level. Then, out of the blue, Lopes received a message on the social networking website LinkedIn. It was a message that not only transformed the Shamrock Rovers defender’s soccer career – paving the way for him to play for Cape Verde and feature in the continent’s leading tournament – but also his life.
“When I was in college, one of our modules required us to set up a LinkedIn account,” Lopes told CNN Sport ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which runs between January 13 and February 11. “And it ended up being through LinkedIn, maybe five or six years later, the manager at the time messaged me in Portuguese, which I didn’t understand. I just thought it was a welcome message … so I ignored it.” Fortunately for Lopes, Cape Verde head coach time Rui Águas messaged the Shamrock Rovers defender again nine months later – this time in English – asking if he had considered his offer.
With the help of Google Translate, Lopes realized that he had been offered the chance to represent the small archipelago’s national team. Soon after Lopes made his first appearance for Cape Verde, and four years later, he is preparing to play at his second successive AFCON with the Tubarões Azuis (the Blue Sharks) having amassed 18 caps.
Lopes comes into the tournament after a fourth successive league title in Ireland with Shamrock Rovers. He was the only Rovers player to make the Professional Footballers Association of Ireland’s team of the year, which is decided on by votes from players in the Irish top flight.
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