While there are no shortage of intriguing storylines at this year's African Cup of Nations, League of Ireland fans will be keeping a close eye on the progress of Cape Verde at the tournament.
Roberto Lopes has been part of the Cape Verde squad for a number of years now, with the Shamrock Rovers defender set to make his second appearance at AFCON this month.
His international career is an unlikely one. The Dubliner qualifies for Cape Verde through his father, although he had never paid much attention to his links to the country. That was until he got a random message on LinkedIn from then manager Rui Aguas asking if he was interested in declaring for the country.
The rest is history.
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Shamrock Rovers man flying Irish flag at AFCON
Roberto Lopes played a big role Cape Verde at the 2022 edition of this tournament, helping them reach the last-16 stage of AFCON where they were knocked out by eventual champions Senegal.
This year, they will be in a group alongside some of the continent's big hitters in Egypt and Ghana as well as Mozambique.
Speaking to The Guardian, the defender said that he is proud to be representing both Cape Verde and Ireland at the tournament. He is also looking forward to coming up against another man with Irish links in Chris Hughton, who is currently the manager of Ghana.
It’s a fantastic feeling to represent the league at the Africa Cup of Nations.
It also feels like I am representing Ireland as well as Cape Verde. It is a real nice boost that people from back home take an interest...
I grew up with fond memories watching Michael Essien and a few Ghana players will be just as strong to play against.
There’s also an Irish connection there with Chris Houghton being their manager, so that is a game I am looking forward to.
And then Egypt have one of the best players in the world, let alone in Africa, in Mo Salah. It’s going to be a tough challenge to come up against him, especially as a defender, but you want to test yourself as a professional footballer. You want to mark yourself off the best and see where you are.
Cape Verde will kick off their AFCON campaign with a game against Ghana on Sunday, where a positive result would go a long way towards helping them advance from the group.
Roberto Lopes will no doubt have a big part to play over the next couple of weeks.
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