Cape Verde full-back Sidny Lopes Cabral is preparing to face Lionel Messi after the island nation defied one percent odds to reach the World Cup knockout stage unbeaten. The 23-year-old insists the squad will treat the Argentina captain as just another opponent when they meet the reigning champions in the next round.
“They gave us a 1% chance of reaching the next round, but we showed how big 1% is,” Lopes Cabral said. Cape Verde progressed through their group without defeat, securing their place among the last sixteen teams in the tournament despite pre-competition predictions suggesting almost certain elimination.
Rotterdam to the World Stage
Born in the Netherlands to parents from Santiago, Lopes Cabral is one of seven squad members from Rotterdam, outnumbering those born in the capital Praia. He began his career at Twente’s academy before spells in Sweden with Helsingborg and a testing stint at Rot-Weiß Erfurt in Germany’s fifth tier.
During that period he earned roughly £850 per month, lived in an empty apartment with bin bags for curtains, and struggled with isolation. “I was crying. I wanted to go back to the Netherlands,” he recalled of his first winter at 19. Yet within two years he had joined Benfica and featured in the Champions League, a trajectory he insists was always his goal. “I always told my mother and father not to worry, I would take care of them,” he said. “Football is my passion, my life, even in the hard days.”
Group Stage Battles
Lopes Cabral made his World Cup debut against Spain, earning a yellow card before being withdrawn when Lamine Yamal appeared for the opposition. He watched the decisive third fixture from the stands due to suspension, an absence that offered perspective but brought intense anxiety.
“I’ve never been so nervous in my life, even when I played against Real Madrid in Santiago Bernabéu or the Spain game,” he admitted. “On the pitch you’re focusing too much. When I wasn’t playing I saw really that it’s a big stage.”
The squad has embraced their underdog status throughout the campaign. “We like to be the underdogs,” Lopes Cabral noted, reflecting on the tension when facing established talents. “You can feel these are great players. We showed we’re a great team. That gave us more confidence.” Celebrations have erupted across the diaspora, particularly in Rotterdam where Cape Verdean communities have followed the journey closely.
Mindset Against Messi
The defender now faces arguably the finest player of all time, but rejects any notion of being overwhelmed. “If you’re like ‘oh, it’s Messi’, you’re gonna lose your mind,” Lopes Cabral stated. “We’re focusing on our plan, our tactics. The coach’s message is that we’re a family. It’s 11 men, not this man or that man.”
The occasion will still hold personal significance. “I hope I get some nice pictures of me standing next to him,” he confessed, though he stressed that any celebration must wait until after the final whistle. For now, the priority remains extending Cape Verde’s remarkable journey beyond the expectations of statisticians.