Sidny Lopes Cabral from the Cape Verde national team was awarded the Hyundai Award for Goal of the Tournament at the 2026 World Cup this Monday. This accolade is presented by FIFA at the end of each World Cup to the most spectacular goal, chosen through a public vote among the 308 goals scored in the competition.
The awarded goal came in the 103rd minute of extra time during the round of 32 match between Argentina and Cape Verde on July 3 at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, when the "Blue Sharks" were losing 1-2.
Lopes Cabral received the ball on the left wing, cut inside, surpassing Alexis Mac Allister, and shot with his right foot, curling it towards the far corner, out of reach of Emiliano Martínez, to equalize at 2-2.
"I saw the space and aimed for the angle," explained the player himself while describing the execution of the shot.
Despite the stunning goal, Argentina won the match 3-2 thanks to an own goal by D. Borges in the 111th minute and advanced to the round of 16. Cabo Verde was eliminated, but the goal by Lopes Cabral became the brightest legacy of a historic participation.
Upon receiving the award, the player did not hide his emotion: "I don't know how to thank you. I am very excited and truly honored."
One of the most striking details he revealed was that former Brazilian fullback Marcelo personally wrote to him to inform him that he had voted his goal as the best of the tournament. Lopes Cabral's reaction was one of absolute disbelief: "I can't believe it!"
The player's personal story adds a dimension of resilience to the award. Born on September 18, 2002, in Rotterdam, Netherlands, to Cape Verdean parents, Lopes Cabral was trained in the youth academies of Feyenoord Rotterdam and FC Twente before moving to German football. According to reports from Los Andes and El Español, in his early days in Germany, he lived in very precarious conditions, using garbage bags as curtains. In July 2025, he signed with Estrela da Amadora in Portugal on a free transfer.
The collective context of the achievement is significant. Cabo Verde made one of the great surprises of the 2026 World Cup, finishing the group stage in Group H undefeated with three draws: 0-0 against Spain in Atlanta, 2-2 against Uruguay in Miami, and 0-0 against Saudi Arabia in Houston.
With those three points, the African archipelago of just 600,000 inhabitants finished second in the group and, for the first time in its history, advanced past the group stage of a World Cup, also marking its absolute debut in the competition.
Lopes Cabral's goal against Argentina, chosen as the best of the tournament by the fans in the official FIFA voting, encapsulates in a single shot the spirit of the entire Cape Verdean campaign: a small team, mostly made up of players from the African diaspora in Europe, that stood up to the giants and left an indelible mark on the World Cup.
Related videos:
Filed under: