Cape Verde, the African island nation, has been the surprise of the World Cup so far. With a draw against Spain and a tie with Uruguay, they have reached the knockout stages of their first ever World Cup.
Former Manager Rui Águas
Former Cape Verde manager Rui Águas knows the team’s success is no fluke. He said, ‘Cape Verde has very talented people… It’s a very small country, a poor country, but they love football.’ Águas, who managed the team from 2014-2016 and 2018-2019, identified potential stars through tipoffs and word of mouth, then watched video clips to assess their suitability.
One of his most notable discoveries was Roberto Lopes, the team’s current center-back. Águas reached out to Lopes on LinkedIn, and after a year of persistence, Lopes finally joined the team. Águas said, ‘It was a good fight because, over the years, he has become maybe the most important player, a very good person, a very good player.’
Upcoming Match
Cape Verde’s next match is against Argentina, led by Lionel Messi. Águas believes that with the right mindset, Cape Verde can succeed. He said, ‘They did it against Spain, it’s possible to do it the same way against Argentina… It’s very difficult, of course, but why not?’
The match will take place at 2 p.m. ET at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Original reporting: KEYT (Ventura/Santa Barbara) — read the source article.
