Roberto “Pico” Lopes

Cape Verde International Footballer & Shamrock Rovers Captain

Pico Lopes is the hero of the 2026 FIFA World Cup whose overnight success has been a lifetime in the making, a man with a sensational story that is now ready for the telling. After swapping life as a mortgage broker and part-time player for professional football with Shamrock Rovers a decade ago, Pico’s World Cup arrival first took life in a LinkedIn message he almost ignored. For almost a year, the invitation in Portuguese to play for his father’s native Cape Verde sat in the inbox of an account set-up as part of a college project. Then the Cape Verde coach finally resorted to English, the penny dropped and Pico Lopes celebrated his 34th birthday in the USA as he spent his summer marking some of world football’s greatest names, including Lionel Messi, on his sport’s biggest stage. Pico's story is one of self-belief, resilience, leadership and seizing opportunity, demonstrating that it's never too late to achieve extraordinary success.

World Cup hero Pico Lopes is the record breaking Shamrock Rovers captain who starred on the biggest stage in football this summer with Cape Verde – but only after his international career was almost lost in translation.

Having first ignored a 2018 message in Portuguese from the Cape Verde manager on LinkedIn, inviting him to play for his father’s homeland, Crumlin born Pico finally took notice when Rui Aguas tried again almost a year later. The rest is history.

Two Afcon finals appearances followed before Cape Verde and their Irish born central defender took the 2026 World Cup by storm, first by qualifying as the third smallest nation ever to achieve that feat. Then by drawing with European champions Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia in the group stages before running Argentina all the way in a round of 32 game that went to extra-time in Miami and is ranked as one of the standout games of the tournament, attracting a world wide TV audience of three billion viewers.

Pico’s remarkable story is the stuff that dreams are made of as a full-time banker and part-time footballer saw his life transformed by a move to full-time football with Shamrock Rovers in 2017 and the persistence of the Cape Verde coach to recruit him to international football a year later.

Under Stephen Bradley’s guidance at Rovers, Pico has become a League of Ireland legend, winning every team and individual honour available in Irish football including the League and FAI Cup double in 2026.

Under Rui Aguas and current Cape Verde boss Bubista, he has established himself as an international footballer of world renown, winning almost 50 caps and countless new admirers with his performances against World Cup finalists Argentina and Spain as Cape Verde stole the show in America, even managing a cheeky word or two with Lionel Messi along the way.

Supported throughout by his loving wife Leah and baby son Diego, who travelled with family and friends across the United States in a campervan on their own World Cup adventure, Pico’s humility, resilience and captivating personality, matched with his World Cup heroics, have shaped one of the most compelling stories of 2026.

Heroism: How the third smallest nation to ever qualify for the FIFA World Cup turned belief into achievement againt all the odds
High Performance: Insights from a remarkable career spanning Irish and international football, including the mindset, discipline and adaptability required to perform consistently at the highest level.
Leadership: How a late developer playuer played sucha pivotal role in the transformation of Irish football after swapping life as a mortgage broker for full-time football at the age of 24
Resilience and Self Belief: How never doubting your ability to make hard work pay-off can make your dreams come true regardless of age and all the knocks along the way
Seizing Opportunity: Why you should never underestimate any opportunity that comes your way, even if it arrives in a language you don’t understand or on a platform you’re unfamiliar with.

Please note this form is intended for Corporate Speaking and Commercial enquiries only. Due to the volume of emails we receive on a daily basis, we regret that we are unable to respond to specific requests from charities, schools, clubs or individuals.