• The third season of Footballers Unfiltered arrives as Australia international Jackson Irvine hosts a new kind of World Cup conversation: peer to peer, from inside the game
  
   
• Irish-born Cape Verde international Roberto ‘Pico’ Lopes recounts how a LinkedIn message left unread for nine months accidentally launched one of football's most unlikely World Cup journeys
  
   
• Lopes talks Cape Verde's tournament debut, facing the likes of Lamine Yamal and Federico Valverde, and the union work shaping football in Ireland

WATCH THE FULL EPISODE HERE

Footballers Unfiltered returns with a special World Cup season hosted by Australia international Jackson Irvine, who is preparing for the tournament himself.

Season Three brings together players heading to the 2026 FIFA World Cup for honest conversations about the realities of modern football, both on and off the pitch. Rather than traditional interviews, the series is built around peer-to-peer discussions between active internationals experiencing the same moment in their careers.

The opening episode features Irish-born Cape Verde international Roberto ‘Pico’ Lopes, whose journey to the World Cup began with a LinkedIn message he initially ignored.

The Shamrock Rovers captain reveals how former Cape Verde coach Rui Aguas first contacted him in Portuguese, a language Lopes did not speak at the time, leading him to mistake the message for spam.

“I just assumed it was like a thanks for connecting sort of message or spam,” Lopes says. “I rudely ignored it.”

Nine months later, Aguas followed up in English. Lopes translated the original message and replied immediately.

“I apologised profusely and said if the opportunity is still available, I'd love to be a part of it. Three weeks later I was in Marseille making my debut for Cape Verde.”

‘Everybody and their dog got to the match’

The episode follows Lopes’ journey from that unlikely first contact to helping Cape Verde qualify for their first-ever World Cup.

Speaking to Irvine, Lopes – who now has over 40 senior appearances for Cape Verde – reflects on the atmosphere surrounding qualification and what the achievement meant to the country.

“The government gave everyone a half day to get themselves to the game,” says Lopes. “And sure enough, everybody and their dog got to the match.”

Lopes also discusses the excitement of preparing to face Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia on football’s biggest stage, including the prospect of coming up against players such as Lamine Yamal and Federico Valverde.

“You always want to test yourself against the best players,” Lopes says.

Irvine recalls standing in the tunnel before facing Lionel Messi at the 2022 World Cup. “Every single person is looking at one guy. And that's before you've even kicked the ball.”

Lopes replies: “You don't want to put players on a pedestal before you play against them, but you do have to respect greatness.”

The importance of player unions in football

Alongside the football discussion, the episode explores player voice and representation. Lopes, chair of PFA Ireland and a member of the FIFPRO Global Player Council, speaks about the importance of player unions supporting footballers on issues ranging from minimum wage protections to ticket pricing and tournament accessibility.

“When something goes wrong and you need someone to fall back on, the union picks up that fight," he says. "It's like car insurance: you're hoping you never have to use it. But if you do, you have something there to support you.”

Hosted by Australia international, co-president of PFA Australia and fellow FIFPRO Global Player Council member Irvine, the new season of Footballers Unfiltered focuses on the conversations players are having ahead of the World Cup that supporters rarely hear publicly.

Watch the first episode of Footballers Unfiltered Season Three with Irvine and Lopes HERE.