3 July 2026; Aidan Keena of St Patrick's Athletic is fouled by Frantz Pierrot of Galway United during the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division match between St Patrick's Athletic and Galway United at Richmond Park in Dublin. Photo by Sam Barnes/Sportsfile
Pico Lopes or Neymar? Who would you pick as your World Cup hero as Brazil follow Cape Verde home
Cathal Dervan, Editor
Not all heroes wear capes. Some wear Cape Verde shirts. And one of them is one of our own, a hero with dual nationality who wears them both well as the Sunday party and the second homecoming on Monday served to prove. Welcome to two incredible days in the Pico Lopes story.
Let’s start with Sunday when the bus journey through the city of Praia took four hours, thousands walking alongside their Cape Verde heroes as the islands in the sun celebrated Independence Day and their incredible arrival on the World Cup stage.
On the same day America celebrated 250 years of freedom so the people of this archipelago took to the streets to bear witness to the footballers who put their country on the map.
Up to now Pico’s proud father Carlos used to describe Cape Verde to people who would ask him where he is from as: “The islands below the Canaries where you go on your holidays.” No more.
Thanks to manager Bubista and his squad of heroes, including the 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha, this country and this team have arrived on the world stage. They have set down a pathway for other small nations to follow. They have shown the World Cup to be what it was always meant to be - the greatest sporting event on planet earth.
They have also shown us what it means to dream, what it means to live a dream. Nobody expected Cape Verde to make it to the second phase of this tournament - except for Bubista and his players.
Nobody expected Cape Verde to play four games in the World Cup against Spain, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia and Argentina, nobody thought that Pico Lopes of Shamrock Rovers would face Lionel Messi of Inter Miami in the final 32 - and in Miami at that.
That’s the beauty of the World Cup, a tournament we failed to qualify for but one that was reborn as far as Ireland are concerned by a 34-year-old from Crumlin, wearing the shirt of his father’s land with pride and with his Irish heritage carved into his heart.
Pico Lopes is a good news story. That’s why he will get the Irish welcome he deserves when he lands into Dublin Airport on an Aer Lingus flight from Lisbon on Monday afternoon. Good news sells - as the huge media presence at Terminal Two will testify.
It’s not all good news from the World Cup. Not by a long shot. The political interference in the Balogun story, a suspension suspended on the back of the precedent set when Ronaldo was red carded in Dublin but freed to play in this tournament, is abhorrent but no more than we should expect from either president.
And then there was Neymar’s behaviour on Sunday night as Norway pulled off one of the shocks of the tournament and celebrated with the greatest version of Rock The Boat ever.
Neymar has been a bit part performer in Brazilian football for the past number of years and he has been a bit part player at this tournament as well. Sure he got the late penalty that almost gave them undeserved hope in New Jersey but they were living on a prayer at that stage.
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His histrionics towards the Norwegian ‘keeper and defenders after he scored were laughable - at a time when he should have been looking to get the game restarted as quickly as possible.
Neymar’s story was all about him. And that’s not the way this World Cup has worked. It is bigger than Prima Donnas as Ronaldo and now Neymar know. It is about heroes, not egos.
Give me Pico and Cape Verde over Neymar and Brazil any day this summer.
Celebrate good times, come on!
Pico Lopes joins Cathal Dervan in Miami for an interview which has been released to all Irish media following Cape Verde’s heart breaking exit from the last 32 of the World Cup finals.
Check our socials later (X here or insta here) to get the latest from the World Cup giraffes!
The key stories developing today
As reports flood in that President Donald Trump had a word with Gianni Infantino, US star striker Folarin Balogun is available to play in the World Cup last-16 tie against Belgium after his one-game ban was suspended by Fifa.
BBC Sport reports that Belgium are considering an appeal against the controversial decision Balogun’s straight red card for a foul on Bosnia-Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovic in their last-32 tie.
Trump has thanked Fifa for ‘reversing a great injustice’ in a post on Truth Social.
Shamrock Rovers have brought Jonathan Afolabi home to Tallaght after announcing the signature of the former Ireland Under 21, Celtic and Bohemians striker on a long term deal.
RTE Sport reports that Afolabi has signed from KV Kortrijk of the Belgian Pro League and spent time in the Rovers academy as a teenager before spells at Southampton and Celtic.
Maltese side Floriana await Shamrock Rovers in the Champions League first round clash on Wednesday with their coach adamant that the Hoops are the hardest possible side to face at this stage of the competition.
“If you ask me if I want maybe one more week, that would be better for us. But we don’t have this time, so we will play and we should do the best we can in this time,” Daniel Portela told the Irish Independent.
England showed real attitude to beat Mexico at altitude but now they face the Viking that is Erling Haaland for a place in the semi-finals of the World Cup after the Manchester City star stunned Brazil with both goals in the 2-1 win in New Jersey.
“You don’t see any other player doing that,” former Scotland winger Pat Nevin told the BBC after the second goal. ”There was not a chance there. There wasn’t a half chance, quarter chance. Nothing.”
Former Newcastle United and Everton defender Neil McDonald is to return to Irish football as assistant manager at Cork City under Barry Robson, according to the Irish Examiner.
John Fallon reports that former Limerick boss McDonald will replace David Meyler following his departure for a return to Hull City.
