Roberto Lopes interview: LinkedIn message led to Cape Verde adventure for Shamrock …

Roberto Lopes cannot bear to think what would have happened if Rui Aguas had not been persistent enough to message him a second time.The former Cape Verde coach first contacted the Shamrock Rovers defender via LinkedIn in 2018. He wanted to discuss the prospect of him playing for the national team because he was eligible through his father. Lopes ignored it. He does not speak Portuguese. “I started the account for college years ago and used it sparingly,” he tells Sky Sports. “You would get these spam messages and I just thought this was another one. Thankfully, he wrote back in English. That is what set me off on this incredible adventure.”Three years on and Dublin-born Lopes still plays for Shamrock Rovers. Everything else has changed. He is now in Cameroon preparing to compete in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.Aside from “that constant worry that it is going to be your unlucky day and you will test positive” there is nothing but excitement. “I cannot wait,” he says. “I have been buzzing about this tournament ever since we qualified for it. I am so excited about it.” The call-up has done more than change his career. It has transformed…
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