Roberto Lopes (footballer, born 1992) explained

Roberto Lopes
Full Name:	Roberto Carlos Lopes
Birth Date:	17 June 1992
Birth Place:	Crumlin, Ireland
Height:	1.86 m
Position:	Centre-back
Currentclub:	Shamrock Rovers
Clubnumber:	4
Youthclubs1:	Home Farm
Youthclubs2:	Belvedere
Youthclubs3:	Bohemians
Years1:	2010–2016
Clubs1:	Bohemians
Caps1:	140
Goals1:	3
Years2:	2017–
Clubs2:	Shamrock Rovers
Caps2:	206
Goals2:	16
Nationalyears1:	2011
Nationalteam1:	Republic of Ireland U19
Nationalcaps1:	1
Nationalgoals1:	0
Nationalyears2:	2019–
Nationalteam2:	Cape Verde
Nationalcaps2:	34
Nationalgoals2:	0
Pcupdate:	09:55, 6 June 2024
Nationalteam-Update:	23:04, 5 February 2024 (UTC)

Roberto Carlos Lopes (born 17 June 1992), also known as Pico Lopes,^[1] is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Shamrock Rovers.^[2] Born in Ireland, Lopes plays for the Cape Verde national team.^{[3] [4]}

Club career

Shamrock Rovers

In November 2016 Lopes joined Shamrock Rovers after leaving rivals Bohemians.^[5]

In 2019 Lopes started the FAI Cup final in which Rovers went on to win after defeating Dundalk on penalties winning the cup for the first time since 1987 and for a record 25th time.^[6] In 2020 Lopes was key member to the Shamrock Rovers squad who won the League of Ireland title for a record 18th time.

International career

Lopes was born in Ireland to a Cape Verdean father and Irish mother.^[7] Lopes made his international debut for the Cape Verde national team in a 2–0 friendly win over Togo in 2019.^[8]

He was included in Cape Verde's squad for the delayed 2021 Africa Cup of Nations tournament.^{[9] [10]}

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			FAI Cup		League of Ireland Cup		Europe		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Bohemians	2010	LOI Premier Division	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
	2011		3	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	4	0	8	0
	2012		15	0	3	1	0	0	0	0	3	0	21	1
	2013		30	1	1	0	3	0	—		0	0	34	1
	2014		30	0	3	0	3	0	—		1	0	37	0
	2015		31	0	2	0	2	0	—		2	0	37	0
	2016		31	2	2	0	2	0	—		3	2	38	4
	Total		140	3	12	1	11	0	0	0	13	2	176	6
Shamrock Rovers	2017	LOI Premier Division	25	1	4	0	3	0	4	0	0	0	35	1
	2018		29	4	1	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	32	4
	2019		35	3	5	0	1	0	4	2	0	0	45	5
	2020		15	3	3	1	—		2	1	—		21	5
	2021		27	1	2	0	—		6	0	1	0	36	1
	2022		27	1	0	0	—		7	0	0	0	34	1
	2023		31	2	1	0	—		4	0	1	0	37	2
	2024		17	1	0	0	—		0	0	0	0	17	1
	Total		206	16	16	1	4	0	29	3	2	0	254	20
Career total			346	19	28	2	15	0	29	3	15	2	430	26

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Cape Verde	2019	1	0
	2020	0	0
	2021	7	0
	2022	7	0
	2023	8	0
	2024	5	0
Total		28	0

Honours

Shamrock Rovers

• League of Ireland Premier Division

• FAI Cup

2019

• President of Ireland's Cup

2022

Bohemians

• Leinster Senior Cup

2016

Individual

• PFAI Team of the Year

2020, 2021, 2023

Notes and References

1. Web site: Roberto Lopes. Shamrock Rovers.
2. Web site: Roberto Lopes . 19 October 2019 . Shamrock Rovers F.C..
3. Web site: Roberto Lopes interview: LinkedIn message led to Cape Verde adventure for Shamrock Rovers defender. skysports.com.
4. Web site: Roberto Lopes' 'surreal' journey from bank to Cape Verde. irishtimes.com.
5. Web site: Shamrock Rovers sign Corry, Connolly, Lopes & Devine | Goal.com. www.goal.com.
6. Web site: Shamrock Rovers lift FAI Cup after shootout win | Football Association of Ireland. www.fai.ie.
7. News: Lopes set for Afcon after call-up via LinkedIn. BBC Sport .
8. Web site: Cape Verde 2-0 Togo . 19 October 2019 . ESPN.
9. News: Group a rivals name squads for Afcon. BBC Sport.
10. Web site: 'It's a special moment for me' - Dubliner Roberto Lopes hoping for more AFCON success after opening win. 10 January 2022. Irish Independent. 10 January 2022.