Sidny Lopes Cabral had already beaten Alexis Mac Allister when he looked towards the far corner of Emiliano Martínez’s goal. Cape Verde were trailing Argentina 2-1 in extra time, their remarkable first World Cup appearance seemingly approaching its end, but the 23-year-old decided to shoot.
The ball curled beyond Martínez and into the top corner, drawing Cape Verde level in the 103rd minute. Argentina eventually survived with a 3-2 victory, but Lopes Cabral had produced the image that would outlive the result.
One shot against Argentina changed everything
According to FIFA’s official announcement of the award, supporters voted Lopes Cabral’s strike the best goal of the 2026 World Cup. It finished ahead of efforts from Uzbekistan’s Eldor Shomurodov and Haiti’s Wilson Isidor, placing the Cape Verde international alongside previous winners including Diego Forlán, James Rodríguez, Benjamin Pavard and Richarlison.
The goal came in the World Cup’s round of 32 in Miami on July 3, rather than the round of 16, as several early reports incorrectly stated. Lionel Messi had opened the scoring for Argentina before Deroy Duarte equalised, while Lisandro Martínez restored the defending champions’ lead early in extra time. Diney Borges’ own goal in the 111th minute eventually ended Cape Verde’s resistance.
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Lopes Cabral said he knew immediately that he had connected with the shot perfectly. “When I looked up and saw it heading for that top corner, I thought, ‘What the hell did I just do?’” he told FIFA. The celebration became even more emotional when he reached the crowd and discovered that his mother, Teresa, had fainted after watching the ball hit the net.
The empty flat in Erfurt
The polished stadiums of the World Cup were far removed from Lopes Cabral’s first months in German football. As described by Sid Lowe in an interview with The Guardian, the defender arrived in Erfurt at the age of 19, earned approximately £850 a month and moved into an almost empty apartment.
It was winter, he struggled with the cold and he repeatedly called his brother to say that he wanted to return to the Netherlands. With no curtains in the flat, he covered the windows with black rubbish bags. “I always told them: ‘Hey, I’m going to be a great football player: I’m gonna reach the top,’” he recalled.
Born in Rotterdam to Cape Verdean parents, Lopes Cabral had spent time in the youth systems at Feyenoord and FC Twente before joining Helsingborg’s under-21 side in Sweden. His European career appeared to be drifting when he dropped into Germany’s fifth tier with Rot-Weiss Erfurt in January 2022. Instead, the move became the foundation of his rise.
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Germany became the turning point
According to Rot-Weiss Erfurt’s official account of his departure, Lopes Cabral made 52 appearances for the club and contributed to 13 goals before joining Viktoria Köln in January 2024. He had helped Erfurt win promotion and developed from a raw attacking full-back into a player capable of operating on either side of the defence.
His progress continued in Germany’s third tier. According to Viktoria Köln’s farewell announcement, he recorded three goals and eight assists in 50 appearances before leaving for Portuguese top-flight club Estrela da Amadora in the summer of 2025.
That move accelerated his career. Five goals and three assists in 16 matches persuaded Benfica to sign him in December 2025, handing him a contract until 2030. Within weeks, he was making his Champions League debut against Real Madrid, a stage that would have appeared almost unreachable during those difficult evenings in Erfurt.
A permanent move to Trabzonspor
Some reports during the World Cup described Lopes Cabral as a Benfica player on loan in Turkey, but that was no longer correct. According to Trabzonspor’s official transfer statement, the Turkish club completed his permanent signing from Benfica on June 4, 2026.
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He therefore arrived at the World Cup as a new Trabzonspor player, carrying a career that had already passed through the Netherlands, Sweden, Germany and Portugal. His position had also evolved along the way, with Lopes Cabral operating as a full-back, wing-back and wide midfielder.
His ability to attack from deep was visible throughout Cape Verde’s tournament. The debutants held eventual champions Spain to a goalless draw, progressed from their group unbeaten and twice recovered from behind against Argentina. Their elimination did little to diminish one of the competition’s most unexpected stories.
Marcelo’s message completed the moment
There was another personal reward waiting after the match. Lopes Cabral grew up admiring former Brazil and Real Madrid left-back Marcelo, whose ability with both feet helped shape the way he approached the position.
Marcelo not only watched the goal, he voted for it in FIFA’s competition and later contacted Lopes Cabral. His message was brief but significant: “It was a pleasure watching you play; you’re very good.” For a player who once became furious after a friend lost a Marcelo shirt intended for him, the exchange carried almost as much meaning as the award itself.
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Lopes Cabral has spoken openly about wanting to play in the Premier League and win the Champions League. Those ambitions remain distant, but no longer appear fanciful. The player who once used rubbish bags as curtains now owns the finest goal scored on football’s biggest stage.
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