World Cup star stops BBC interview and walks out in emotional scenes | Football | Sport

Cape Verde Star Pico Lopez stopped an interview early as he became emotional following the nation’s dramatic exit from the World Cup. The African Island nation pushed Argentina all the way in their round of 32 match, with the current champions Argentina requiring a late winner in extra time to overcome their opponents.

In what is their first appearance in the World Cup finals, Cape Verde booked their place in the knockout stage with draws against Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia. Despite going behind twice against Argentina, led by Lionel Messi, the team came back both times, with Sidny Lopes Cabral producing one of the moments of the tournament with his stunning goal to make it 2-2 in extra time.

Cape Verde suffered late heartbreak, when an own goal in the second half of extra time made it 3-2 to Argentina. But the nation have captured the hearts of fans with their performances.

One of the standout stories of the team is Roberto ‘Pico’ Lopes. The centre-back was born in Ireland, but qualifies for Cape Verde through his father.

Speaking to the BBC after the match, he said: “We said coming into this tournament that we wanted to make history, we wanted to show that we deserve to be here, and I think overall that we showed we’re more than capable of competing with some of the best teams in the world.”

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10 years ago, the centre-back was working as a mortgage advisor. He also came to represent Cape Verde through a message he received from the social media site LinkedIn.

When asked about his own personal journey, he added: “Yeah, look, I try to stay in the moment as much as I can. Like, I think there will be a time for me to reflect, but it’s been amazing, as I say, but my sort of ambition, my dream was just to work hard every day and try and get better, try to get that little bit better.

“And the fact that where I was ten years (ago), to where I am now, though, there’s a little bit of pride there as well because…”

He then gets emotional and adds, “I’m going to stop,” before calmly walking away from the interview.

His club, Shamrock Rovers, responded to the interview with a simple message that read: “proud,” alongside a green heart emoji.

He also received support from fans on social media. “No Pico no party, what an absolute hero! He deserves it all..” one wrote.

A second said: “Incredible @picolopes Absolute hero.” A third added: “That got me. Well done to this man. Bringing genuine excitement to 2 countries. And no more than he deserved.”

“What a gentleman deserves all the plaudits what a performance at the world Cup @picolopes,” A fourth said.

Lopes made his international debut in 2019, with the game against Argentina earning him his 49th cap for the country. He played every minute available in the World Cup, and is likely to be given a hero’s welcome upon his return to both Cape Verde and Ireland.