Ryan Mendes is not even a household name in Turkey, where he plays for second division Igdir, but next summer, football fans around the world will be well aware of both him and his team.

The 35-year-old is captain of the Cape Verde national team and was at the heart of their 3-0 win over Eswatini last week which booked them a first-ever appearance at the World Cup.

This was no freak occurrence as Cape Verde, who lean heavily on their Portuguese colonial past for a supply of players, are a very decent side.

At the last Africa Cup of Nations they topped their group, which included Ghana, reaching the quarter-finals where they lost on penalties to South Africa.

In the 2026 World Cup qualifying they again topped their group, this time finishing ahead of the once-mighty Cameroon.

“We have

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