"From when I was a young child and I imagine every aspiring footballer when they were young, they wanted to play at the highest level possible and for me it doesn't go any further than the World Cup. It's the pinnacle of our sport,"
"It doesn't feel real now. I hope it does in the next few days and I know it will come next June. I can't wait for that. I'm in a bit of a race now to get home, just to make sure I'm there for the arrival. There's no sign of the baby yet. I'm leaving the celebrations early to get home as quick as I can. So, yeah, hopefully all goes well. Hopefully, look, our child comes here safely and healthy, and, yeah, hopefully we can get the job done in the league this week as well."
Roberto Lopes, a 33-year-old Shamrock Rovers centre-back born in Dublin to a Cape Verdean father and Irish mother, played a key role in Cape Verde qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, the second smallest nation to do so. He reached the Africa Cup of Nations in 2022 after being contacted via LinkedIn by then-coach Rui Aguas and completing required administration. A 3-0 win over Eswatini secured top spot in their qualifying group ahead of Cameroon. Lopes is also awaiting the birth of his first child and aims to help his club win the League of Ireland title this week.
Read at www.bbc.com
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