Lopes welcomed home after Cape Verde World Cup adventure

Roberto 'Pico' Lopes has arrived back in Dublin following his World Cup heroics with Cape Verde.

The 34-year-old from Crumlin was the only Irish-born player to play at the tournament and featured in every minute of the African side's matches.

Cape Verde were knocked out of the competition at the round of 32 stage by Argentina following a 3-2 win last Friday after extra-time in what was a nail-biting encounter.

The Shamrock Rovers skipper has won much praise for his performances throughout the competition.

After coming up against Lionel Messi in Miami, it's now back to League of Ireland duties for Lopes with his club.

It was Cape Verde's first World Cup appearance, reaching the knockout stage after holding Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia to draws before pushing the defending champions to the limit.

Their run was one of the biggest surprise stories of the tournament.

Speaking to RTÉ News upon his arrival at Dublin Airport, Lopes highlighted being on "an absolute rollercoaster the last few weeks", as he reflected on his World Cup experience, while also appreciating the many messages of support he received.

"The amount of people who reached out to me with their well-wishes and congratulations has been really overwhelming and I really appreciate the support I've had back here from the people of Ireland.

"After the game we were devastated because we were so close to continuing this journey and it has been an incredible journey, one that you don't want to end."

A hectic few days for the 34-year-old also involved a reception in Cape Verde.

"We went home to a Cape Verde and we saw what it meant to the people there," he added.

"That's what it was all about, showing what we can do on the biggest stage and putting Cape Verde on the map."

For now, Lopes is looking forward to "being with my family for the next while" and resuming his career with Shamrock Rovers.

He also will be part of the punditry panel on RTÉ2 television this week, and will be on the couch for the Argentina v Egypt last-16 clash on Tuesday and for the England-Norway quarter-final tie on Saturday next.

Watch every game of the FIFA 2026 World Cup live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player with highlights on RTÉ Sport digital platforms and live blogs on RTÉ.ie/sport and RTÉ News app