Roberto 'Pico' Lopes, an Irish-born banker-turned-soccer player, made it to the World Cup after a coach found him through a LinkedIn message. The center back had spent his athletic career playing for Ireland's Shamrock Rovers before the international opportunity emerged.
Cape Verde head coach Rui Aguas discovered Lopes's ancestry—his father was born on the island nation—making him eligible under FIFA rules. Aguas sent a cold message in Portuguese, the country's official language, to recruit him. Lopes initially dismissed it as spam and ignored it for nine months.
A follow-up from Aguas, this time in English, finally caught Lopes's attention. The exchange highlights how social media platforms are increasingly used for talent scouting beyond traditional corporate recruiting. Lopes went on to represent Cape Verde, a small archipelago, on soccer's biggest stage.
The story underscores the serendipitous nature of online professional networking. It also illustrates how diaspora connections can unlock international sports careers through digital channels that bypass conventional scouting pipelines.
Lopes recalled in an interview with BBC Sport that he initially thought the message was spam. 'I took no notice of it,' he said, before eventually responding to the English-language follow-up.