Report: Pico Lopes's World Cup Heroics Led To Talks With Brazilian Giants

Pico Lopes's World Cup heroics with Cape Verde have led to interest in the Shamrock Rovers centre-back as far afield as Brazil, according to reports in the country.

Lopes returned to action with Rovers on Tuesday night, just 11 days after putting it up to Lionel Messi and Argentina in the World Cup round of 32.

The Dubliner was one of the standout heroes of Cape Verde's journey, putting in heroic defensive shifts against Messi, Spain, and Uruguay, as the African minnows defied expectations on their maiden World Cup voyage.

Lopes's performance against Spain, in particular, announced his abilities on a global level, and reports suggest that Brazilian giants São Paulo have made an approach to sign the Crumlin native in the days since Cape Verde's World Cup adventure concluded.

READ HERE: Pico Lopes' Wife And Family Are Following His World Cup Journey In A Campervan

Pico Lopes linked with São Paulo

Brazilian media giant Globo reported on Tuesday that São Paulo FC held talks with Pico Lopes shortly after the World Cup.

The report suggests that Lopes has an agreement with Shamrock Rovers, which would allow him to leave should an offer arrive from another market. With São Paulo experiencing a shortage of defenders, they approached Lopes's representatives off the back of his World Cup heroics.

The Brazilian side offered Lopes a "similar" amount to his current salary at Rovers, but a counteroffer was made with slightly higher figures.

It was at that stage that São Paulo instead opted for Domingos Duarte, with the Portuguese set to be unveiled imminently.

However, the report does state that São Paulo are still open to signing another defender, meaning the door may not be fully closed for Lopes, who is said to hold an interest in playing in Brazilian football.

São Paulo are among Brazil's most successful clubs, with only four teams having won the national Serie A title on more occasions than the Tricolor.

Shamrock Rovers fans will certainly hope that the reports are unsubstantiated, given Lopes's importance to the team.

On his return to action with Rovers on Tuesday night, Pico made an immediate impact, as the Hoops produced a famous comeback to progress to the second round of the Champions League qualifiers.

2-0 down to Floriana from last week's first leg in Malta, Rovers made the most of home advantage to notch a resounding 5-1 win (5-3 on aggregate) and progress to the second round, where they will face Ararat of Armenia.

Pico Lopes's World Cup performances have firmly put him in the shop window, and there will now be a nervous wait for Rovers fans to see if he opts to stay in Dublin.

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