“I hope I get some pictures standing next to Messi,” said Sidny Lopes Cabral before sharing a stage with football’s VIP of VIPs. The photographers pocketed him that prize. The Rotterdammer’s right boot earned him an even bigger one as Cabo Verdean dwarves duelled Argentinian titans at the FIFA World Cup 2026™. After tricking his way inside Alexis Mac Allister in ‘Magic City’, Lopes Cabral opulently curled the ball into Emiliano Martinez’s top corner to make it 2-2 in an extra-time thriller in the Round of 32.
It has now been crowned the Hyundai Goal of the Tournament, beating glorious golazos from Uzbekistan’s Eldor Shomurodov and Wilson Isidor of Haiti into second and third. Lopes Cabral succeeded Maxi Rodriguez, Diego Forlan, James Rodriguez, Benjamin Pavard and Richarlison in seizing the award. “The moment I dribbled past my opponent, I saw an opening and thought, ‘Let’s have a go’,” said the man whose parents were born on the Archipelagic African utopia. “I shoot well with both feet. I saw the space and was eyeing the top corner. I aimed there and struck the ball really well.
“When I looked up and saw it heading for that top corner, I thought, ‘What the hell did I just do?’ I couldn’t believe it. I looked at my team-mates – everyone was screaming, hands on their heads, overjoyed. “I started running without thinking. Then it hit me that I’d scored a spectacular goal in the World Cup. Everybody dreams of just scoring in the World Cup, but to score in this way, at such a big stage against such a big team, was amazing. I was really happy.” Sixty-five thousand inside Miami Stadium – and the masses watching around the world – witnessed that euphoria en route to a heroic 3-2 defeat. As Lopes Cabral sprinted uncontrollably, his mother Teresa lost consciousness! “Before the game, I’d told my mom and my girlfriend that if I scored, I’d run over to them,” he explained. “When I got there, I saw my mom crying; she hadn't even realized I was right there. Everyone was busy tending to her because she had fainted when I scored!”
Lilian Thuram’s mother famously fainted after watching her son score his second against Croatia in the 1998 World Cup semi-finals, and Lopes Cabral emulated another France full-back, Benjamin Pavard, in becoming the second player of his position – an unusual one in wonder-goal wars – to conquer. One voter was another full-back of Brazil and Real Madrid royalty. “After the game, I got a message from Marcelo,” the 23-year-old explained. “He’s one of my biggest idols. I always admired him. He’s a left-back, plays with both feet, and had great technique. “He told me he voted for my goal as the best of the tournament! I replied, ‘Thank you so much! I don't know how to thank you. I’m so excited and honoured that you saw me play.’ And he said, ‘It was a pleasure watching you play; you’re really good.’ I was just like, ‘My word!’ I couldn't believe it when I got his message.”
Lopes Cabral’s career ascent has been equally unbelievable. Three years ago, he was playing in the German fifth division and using bin bags as makeshift curtains. His rags-to-riches biopic now has an enrapturing epilogue: one of football’s most prestigious prizes.
Sources: FIFA Official
