Cape Verde’s Sidny Lopes Cabral has been awarded the 2026 FIFA World Cup Goal of the Tournament for his wonder goal against Argentina. The 23-year-old defender made history to become the first African player ever to receive the award.
This moment of genius came in the dramatic last 32 match between Cape Verde and the reigning world champions – Argentina.
With his team trailing 2-1 in extra time, the left-back got forward, sidestepped Alexis Mac Allister and buried an expertly struck shot with his right foot from outside the box, which flew into the top corner, past Emiliano Martínez’s despairing dive.
Despite a last-gasp defeat to the South Americans in extra time, Cabral’s goal will live long in the memory of the tournament. “I think about the moment I took the shot, the flight of the ball into the top corner,” Cabral told reporters.
“I was like, ‘What the hell did I do? Everybody dreams about it at one point but, actually, I was able to live that moment against Argentina.’ So that was crazy,” “Marcelo called me too,” the defender continued.
“He told me that he was in the voting committee. He congratulated me and said it was a ‘golazo’.”
Born in the Netherlands, to parents from the Cape Verde islands, Cabral has enjoyed a breakout few years and, following spells with youth academies at the likes of Feyenoord and Chelsea’s affiliate clubs, as well as trials in Germany and Portugal, has a move to Turkish side Trabzonspor secured ahead of the global tournament that has seen him write his name into football’s record books.
