Cape Verde Cannot Focus Only on Messi, Says Bubista
July 5, 2026 · Global
Cape Verde coach Bubista stressed the need for a team strategy against Argentina, with a focus on the entire squad and not just Messi, as they prepare for the World Cup knockout tie.
Cape Verde must have a plan to stop Argentina as a team, not just focus on Lionel Messi, says their coach, Bubista. When the tournament began, Cape Verde was ranked 63rd and became the lowest-ranked country to make it to the knockout stages of a World Cup on their debut. They managed to do so by going unbeaten throughout the group stages, holding on for a goalless draw against Spain before also holding Uruguay (2-2) and Saudi Arabia (0-0). They are the lowest-ranked team to progress from the first phase since Russia in 2018 (70th), who beat Spain on penalties in the last 16 before losing to Croatia in the quarter-finals. However, they face a tough challenge in the round of 16 on Friday, against defending champions and their talisman, Messi, in Miami. Messi has scored six goals in the 2026 tournament so far, joining Kylian Mbappe as joint leaders of the Golden Boot race, while he has also been involved in nine goals in his last five appearances in the knockout stages of the World Cup (five goals, four assists), scoring in his last four appearances. The only players ever to score in five consecutive knockout appearances are Leonidas for Brazil (1934-38), Gyorgy Sarosi for Hungary (1934-38), and Vava for Brazil (1958-62). However, Bubista said Cape Verde cannot focus solely on stopping Messi, stating, "We as a team have our own strategy, not just against Messi, but the whole team. They are the current world champions and one of the best teams in the tournament. We will play against the whole team. We know Messi is one of the best players in the world, but we are playing against the whole team." Cape Verde conceded just two goals in three group games, which is the lowest total for a debutant nation since Angola in 2006 (also two goals). They became the first team to progress from their group at a World Cup despite not winning a game since Chile in 1998, who also drew all three of their group games. However, they showed a lot of attacking effort, especially against Uruguay, and Bubista confirmed that they will challenge for the champions. "Small teams have shown that they can compete at the same level as big teams," he said. "This shows that the small ones can also face the most challenging games. Argentina will be a challenge for us, but we want it to be a challenge for them too. We are here on merit. In the last three games, we have shown that we can compete at a high level. We know the quality of our opponents, but we also have our dreams. We will play with courage. We will be brave and fight for qualification. We want the players to enjoy the game, but stay focused and do everything to move on to the next phase. We believe in ourselves and our strengths, our players and our team. We know this will will be a very difficult match, but we can hurt our opponents. We are brave and ambitious, and we will play to win.