Cape Verde defender, who blocked Spain's last-minute goal, was an office worker 10 years ago and nearly missed the World Cup due to an unread email.

On June 16, Beijing time, a huge surprise stunned Group H's opening match as Cape Verde, a newcomer with only 500,000 people, managed a 0-0 stalemate against Spain, the European champions, earning their first ever point in a World Cup debut.

In addition to the 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha, who pulled off seven miraculous saves, 33-year-old central defender Roberto Lopes proved to be another key figure for the side.

In the 88th minute, it was he who blocked Oyarzabal's certain goal, preventing Spain from securing a last-minute victory. Ironically, Roberto Lopes almost missed the World Cup entirely, as just ten years ago, he was working as a bank clerk.

Ten years ago, Roberto Lopes was a newly qualified bank employee, only playing part-time for Bohemians in the Irish football league.

It wasn't until 2017 that Shamrock Rovers offered him a chance to leave his day job and fully commit to professional football.

Because his father was born in Cape Verde, Roberto Lopes was eligible to play for the country. At the time, the Cape Verde coach sent him a message in Portuguese, asking if he would be interested in joining the national team. However, since he didn't understand Portuguese at all, he thought it was spam.

A year later, he received a second message asking if he had asking if he had made a decision. It was only then, using translation software, that he realized how close he had come to missing out on the chance to become an international player.

Imagine if Roberto Lopes had never replied to that private email—he might never have had the opportunity to stand on the World Cup stage in his lifetime.

Roberto Lopes made his debut for the Cape Verde national team in 2019 and has been a consistent presence ever since. Against Spain, he recorded an impressive 11 clearances and 2 interceptions, both match-high stats, earning a score of 7.6.