تم تجنيده عبر «لينكدإن»، ومن المقرر أن يواجه إسبانيا — نجم الرأس الأخضر المولود في دبلن

Lopes (left) celebrates Cape Verde's World Cup qualification with Deroy Duarte

He was recruited on social media to play for a tiny island nation 3,000 miles from where he was born, and now a former Dublin bank worker looks set to face Spain at the World Cup.

Roberto Lopes' story sounds so far fetched even Hollywood scriptwriters might consider it implausible.

"I was not enjoying the work," says the 33-year-old about his desk job as he reflects on a wild, inspirational journey, from being a white-collar worker in the Republic of Ireland to playing for Cape Verde at their first World Cup.

The defend…