If you found yourself in a small part of Crumlin over the past month you may be mistaken to think you have woken up in Cape Verde and not Dublin. The tiny working-class suburb had been draped with flags from the African country, with the locals wearing the deep, blue-coloured kit and it is all to support one of Ireland’s own. Roberto ‘Pico’ Lopes is the only player born in Ireland heading to the World Cup , but with Cape Verde . Obviously, there will be fans from Cape Verde rooting for him, but , maybe just as passionately , Ireland wil l show their raucous support for the debutants . The Shamrock Rovers defender’s journey to football ’s peak hasn’t been simple . He would manage working as a banker and playing part-time football for Bohemians before joining city-rivals Rovers and turning professional , ten years ago . And, well, his journey continues to defy what is considered normal in football, with international f...
Arriving at the back post
A dive into stories and events from the sporting world that you may have missed.