Cape Verde’s performance in their first FIFA World Cup was a surprise to many. Getting through to the knockout rounds was an unexpected success for a team from a small island nation with a population of only about 500,000. Holding a team like Spain to a draw brought world wide attention to the team and to Cape Verde as a country.

Now, defender Sidny Lopes Cabral’s goal in their match against Argentina has been named as the World Cup goal of the tournament. Cabral is the first player from an African country to win this accolade. His girlfriend and his mother were in the stand for the match. He reports that when he ran over to them his mother was crying. She had apparently fainted when he scored the goal.

Although Cabral’s parents are from Cape Verde, he was born in the Netherlands. He started his football career training in Dutch football academies and Swedish club Helsingborg. He then signed for Rot-Weiß Erfurt in Germany in 2022. His first appearance for Cape Verde was in 2023. In 2025 he signed for Estrela da Amadora in Portugal. He then moved to Benfica in January and to Trabzonspor in Turkey prior to the World Cup in June.