Sidny Lopes Cabral (; born 18 September 2002) is a professional footballer who plays as a full-back for Süper Lig club Trabzonspor. Born in the Netherlands, he plays for the Cape Verde national team.
Early life Lopes Cabral was born in 2002 in the Netherlands. His parents were both from Santiago, Cape Verde. As a youth player, Lopes Cabral joined the youth academy of Swedish side Helsingborg. He was regarded as a bright prospect whilst playing for the club's youth team.
Club career In 2024, Lopes Cabral signed for German side Viktoria Köln. He was described as a key part of the club's newfound defensive stability.
In the summer of 2025, Lopes Cabral moved to Portugal, signing a three-year contract through to 2028 with Primeira Liga club Estrela da Amadora. He became an offensive weapon for his new club in his debut season, registering five goals and providing two assists in the league, the highlight being a hat-trick scored in a game away at Casa Pia.
After impressing during the first half of the season with Estrela, on 30 December 2025, Lopes Cabral joined fellow Primeira Liga side Benfica, signing a contract until June 2030 for a reported fee of €6 million, which could rise to €8.5 million with add-ons. He made his debut on 4 January 2026, coming on as a substitute during the second half and assisting Vangelis Pavlidis for his hat-trick goal in a 3–1 league victory over Estoril at the Estádio da Luz. On 25 January, Lopes Cabral scored his first goal for Benfica, the third in a 4–0 league victory over his former club Estrela da Amadora.
In June 2026, Benfica agreed to transfer Lopes Cabral to Turkish club Trabzonspor for a reported fee of €10 million, with the player arriving in Turkey to complete the move.
International career Lopes Cabral was first called up to the Cape Verde national team for a friendly against Comoros in 2023. He scored his first international goal on 29 May 2025, in a friendly against Malaysia at the Kuala Lumpur Stadium.
On 18 May 2026, Lopes Cabral was selected by Cape Verde head coach Bubista for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the nation's first ever appearance at the tournament. In Cape Verde's round of 32 match against Argentina on 3 July, Lopes Cabral scored a second equalizing goal for his side with a curling shot in the first half of extra time. Although Cape Verde went on to lose the match 3–2, Lopes Cabral's strike would be voted the best goal of the tournament.
Style of play Lopes Cabral mainly plays as a defender, and can operate as a left-back or right-back.
Personal life Lopes Cabral's older brother Rodny also played for the Cape Verde national team.
Career statistics Club
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupLeague cupContinentalOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsRot-Weiß Erfurt2021–22NOFV-Oberliga Süd112————1122022–23Regionalliga Nordost231————2312023–24Regionalliga Nordost150———30180Total493———30523Viktoria Köln2023–243. Liga17000——101802024–253. Liga291———32323Total46100——42503Estrela da Amadora2025–26Primeira Liga15510———165Benfica2025–26Primeira Liga81101020—121Trabzonspor2026–27Süper Lig4000—200060Career total122102010407213612
International
+ Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsCape Verde202310202562202683Total155
Scores and results list Cape Verde's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Lopes Cabral goal.
+ List of international goals scored by Sidny Lopes Cabral No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1 29 May 2025 Kuala Lumpur Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 1–0 1–1 Friendly 2 8 October 2025 Tripoli Stadium, Tripoli, Libya 2–3 3–3 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification 3 27 March 2026 Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand 2–1 2–4 2026 FIFA Series 4 3 July 2026 Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, United States 2–2 2–3 2026 FIFA World Cup 5 25 September 2026 26 March Stadium, Bamako, Mali 1–1 1–3 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
Honours Individual FIFA World Cup Goal of the Tournament: 2026
References
External links