Roberto 'Pico' Lopes ya kasance ɗaya daga cikin fitattun 'yan wasan Gasar Kwallon Kafa ta Duniya ta FIFA 2026, kuma bazuwarsa ta musamman ta ci gaba da ban mamaki tun bayan dawowarsa zuwa kwallon ƙungiya tare da Shamrock Rovers.
Cape Verde ta jawo hankalin duniya baki ɗaya ta hanyar wasanninta a Rukuni H da kuma wasan da ba za a manta da shi ba na zagaye na 32 da zakaran duniya na 2022, Argentina. Blue Sharks sun sha kashi 3-2 amma sun tilasta wa zakaran yin tsawaita wasa a cikin ɗaya daga cikin wasannin da suka fi burge a gasar.
Matakin rukuni ya fara da kyar da ƙungiyar Spain, tsohon zakara kuma wacce ta kai ƙarshe a 2026, ta taɓarɓare 0-0. Mai tsaron raga Vozinha ya samu yawancin yabo, amma Lopes shi ne ginshiƙin wannan tsaron a matsayinsa na bek na tsakiya — kuma babban dalili da ya sa an hana ƙwallo ta shiga.
Daga LinkedIn zuwa Lionel Messi
Lopes yana da ɗaya daga cikin labaran da ba su da yuwuwa a duniyar kwallon ƙafa. An haife shi kuma ya girma a Dublin, an tuntuɓi mai tsaron ƙofar shekarun 34 ta LinkedIn kuma aka gayyace shi wakiltar Cape Verde, ƙasar da ya fara buga mata ƙwallon shekaru takwas da suka wuce. Wannan tafiya ta kai ga fuskantar mai cin kyautar Ballon d'Or sau takwas, Lionel Messi, a wasan fita da fita na Gasar Kofin Duniya — lokaci wanda shi kaɗai zai iya bayyana duk wata sana'a.
Dawowar tarihi ta Shamrock Rovers
Da ya dawo Jamhuriyar Ireland, Lopes shi ne kyaftin ɗin Shamrock Rovers — ƙungiyar Dublin da ta lashe kambun League of Ireland Premier Division a 2025 kuma yanzu tana ci gaba da maki bakwai a gaban Bohemians a kakar 2026 da aka dakatar. Wannan kambun ya ba Rovers gurbi a zagaye na farko na cancantar UEFA Champions League.
Gasar da Floriana na Malta ta yi kama da mai wahala tun farko. Lopes bai samu damar buga wasa na farko ba — wanda aka buga jim kaɗan bayan dawowarta daga Gasar Kofin Duniya — kuma Rovers sun sha kashi 2-0 a Malta, lamarin da ya bar su da giɓi mai girma. Babu wata ƙungiya ta League of Ireland da ta taɓa juya rashin ƙwallaye biyu a wasan farko a cikin gasar Turai.
Wasan sake na Tallaght Stadium a ranar Talata ya sake rubuta wannan tarihin. Da Lopes ya dawo cikin tawagar farko, Rovers sun doke Floriana 5-1 don cancanta da jimla 5-3 da ƙwallaye masu yawa. Kamar yadda RTE Sport ta ruwaito bayan wasan, Rovers sun «bi Floriana daga farko zuwa ƙarshe», suna nuna ƙudurin kawar da rashin nasarar wasan farko.
Ba hutun da zai biyo baya
Ba Lopes ba Shamrock Rovers za su sami wani hutu. Yanzu suna fuskantar ƙungiyar Armenian Ararat a zagaye na biyu na cancantar. Matsayinsu na zababbu da cin Floriana sun saka su a hanyar zakara, suna ba su mafi kyawun hanya zuwa mataki na rukuni na UEFA Champions League.
