Shamrock Rovers defender Pico Lopes has said he was left "blown away" by the support he received from fans in Ireland and Cape Verde after returning home from a historic FIFA World Cup campaign.
The 34-year-old received an emotional welcome at Dublin Airport on Monday after helping Cape Verde reach the knockout stages of their first-ever World Cup appearance.
Roberto Lopes, who was born in Crumlin, Dublin, played a key role in the Blue Sharks' memorable run at the tournament, where they stunned many by reaching the last 32 and competing against some of the biggest teams in world football.
Cape Verde were eventually eliminated by reigning champions Argentina, with Lionel Messi and his teammates needing extra time to secure a narrow victory. Despite falling short of a famous upset, the tournament marked a landmark moment for the small West African nation.
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Speaking after arriving back in Dublin, Lopes said he felt he had represented both Cape Verde and Ireland during the tournament and was overwhelmed by the reaction he received.
"I’ve been blown away by the reception. It’s been absolutely incredible," he said in an interview with The Irish Sun.
"What the Irish people showed me on this journey has been something to remember for the rest of my life."
"As I say, I’ve qualified for the World Cup with Cape Verde and I’ve now said this a couple of times, I really did feel like I was representing two nations over there."
"And the support I’ve received while I was away and when I came home has been overwhelming."
@dublinairport Imagine this as your welcome home @Pico Lopes 🇨🇻🇮🇪 #capeverde #worldcup #ireland ♬ original sound - Dublin Airport
The defender had travelled back to Ireland after Cape Verde's players received a hero's welcome in their homeland, with thousands of supporters lining the streets of the capital Praia to celebrate the team's historic achievement.
For Lopes, seeing the impact of Cape Verde's World Cup journey helped ease the disappointment of narrowly missing out against Argentina.
The Irishman admitted the squad were devastated after coming so close to forcing a penalty shootout against the tournament favourites, but returning home helped put their achievement into perspective.
"I have to say it was really, really nice to have that moment," he said.
"It just put things into perspective. The competitive side of us, we were gutted that we weren’t staying in the World Cup longer."
"We were so close to pushing Argentina all the way. I think penalties would have been a great way to decide the game."
"We were still feeling a bit down on ourselves because of how close we were, but when you go home, it puts it into perspective that there’s a story outside of football."
"How much it means to the people of Cape Verde. You see us competing against Spain and Argentina and Uruguay, and Cape Verde’s name is right there."
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Cape Verde's World Cup campaign saw them make history from the beginning. In their debut appearance, they held Spain to a draw and later secured another impressive draw against Uruguay before progressing from the group stage after a third consecutive stalemate against Saudi Arabia.
Their performances saw them finish second in Group H, eliminating Uruguay in the process and setting up a meeting with Argentina.
The Blue Sharks pushed the reigning champions all the way, with Sidny Lopes Cabral scoring a stunning extra-time goal that briefly raised hopes of a shock result. However, a deflected header from Cristian Romero eventually ended their run.
Reflecting on the experience of playing at football's biggest tournament, Lopes said it surpassed all expectations.
"You hear that it’s the biggest stage of football and it’s going to be this and that," he said.
"When you get there and actually feel it, it completely blows you out of the water. The facilities, especially in America as well, blow you out of the water."
"It was amazing, honestly, from day one when we had a training camp in Portugal to the last day where we got knocked out. It was the stuff of dreams, really."
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During the tournament, Lopes shared the pitch with some of the world's biggest stars, including Lionel Messi and Spain midfielders Pedri and Rodri. However, he said his family helped keep him grounded throughout the experience.
His wife Leah and their baby son Diego attended Cape Verde's group matches, before being flown back to the United States by Aer Lingus for the historic clash against Argentina in Miami.
After the defeat, Lopes returned to the team hotel to find his family waiting for him, providing a moment of normality after weeks spent fully immersed in football.
"I’ve been lucky enough to see my wife a few times over there — the baby not so much because of his sleeping schedules — and I’ve just been saying to her I can’t wait to get home to shut the door on all the noise," he said.
"You are in a bubble there. You’re 24/7 football and getting everything handed to you and you just miss that little bit of normality."
Despite facing some of the biggest names in the sport, Lopes was never overawed by the occasion. He revealed he did not collect jerseys from his superstar opponents, instead choosing to treasure shirts from his own teammates.
"I think I asked in the first game because people asked me to and the striker [Mikel Oyarzabal] said, ‘the other centre-half already asked me.’"
"For me then, I was just like, ‘no, that’s me, I’m done.’ I think I’d rather have the Cape Verde jerseys, to be honest with you."
"They’re the memories that will stick for me and the ones I can pass on to my son as well to wear hopefully in the future."
Lopes is now preparing to return to domestic football with Shamrock Rovers, although he was given extra time off and missed their opening Champions League qualifier against Floriana.
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He is expected to return for the second leg in Tallaght, where he hopes his World Cup experience can inspire more players from the League of Ireland to dream of reaching the highest level.
"We do have good players in this league. We’ve got good managers, good coaches. We’ve got a lot of things going well. It just hasn’t got the recognition it deserves," he said.
"Hopefully this has shone a bigger light on it now and it can inspire a few people for the future."
"When you get so many well wishes from not just Shamrock Rovers fans, but League of Ireland fans as a whole, it really does feel like they have your back and you want to give a showcase of what the League of Ireland is capable of."
"I’m just one player, but there’s so many top, top players in the League of Ireland."
