From Dublin building society to marking Messi: Pico Lopes leads Cape Verde's World Cup fairytale

Pico Lopes will line up against Lionel Messi and World Cup holders Argentina at Miami Stadium on Friday, having guided Cape Verde through a group that included Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia — a run that has turned the Shamrock Rovers centre-back into a national hero on two continents.

The journey to this point defies easy explanation. Lopes was working in a building society in Blanchardstown on the outskirts of Dublin when a LinkedIn message arrived inviting him to join the Cape Verde squad under coach Rui Aguas. He assumed it was spam and ignored it. He eventually responded, and the rest has become one of the tournament’s defining stories.

During the group stage, Lopes kept Spain’s teenage sensation Lamine Yamal so quiet that supporters back home began drawing comparisons with Paul McGrath — the Manchester United and Republic of Ireland legend who famously nullified Roberto Baggio at the 1994 World Cup, the last time the tournament was held on American soil. The parallel is not lost on those who have followed Lopes’ rise.

His wife Leah has tracked every step of the journey, completing a marathon road trip of nearly 2,000 miles from Houston to Miami to be present for the last-32 tie. Lopes’ parents, Judy and Carlos, were also flown back out to the United States after Aer Lingus offered them complimentary flights, seizing on the wave of goodwill surrounding their son’s story. Tickets, however, are in short supply — Lopes has been handed only a small allocation, meaning some relatives will miss out.

The noise back in Ireland has grown steadily louder with each Cape Verde result. Lopes, for his part, is determined to stay present in the moment rather than be overwhelmed by it. “I’m excited,” he said. “It feels palpable. The people behind Cape Verde are buzzing. The staff, people at the hotel, everyone. What a spectacle it’s going to be.”

Friday’s match represents the starkest possible test of how far this fairytale can travel. Argentina, the reigning world champions, arrive in Miami as heavy favourites. Messi, at 37, remains the most decorated player in the history of the game. Lopes has already silenced one generational talent in Yamal. Whether he can do the same to the greatest of them all is the question that has captivated football fans from Praia to Dublin.