Sidny Lopes Cabral
Cape Verdean footballer (born 2002)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sidny Lopes Cabral (Portuguese: [ˈsid.ni ˈlɔ.pɨʃ kɐ.ˈbɾal]; 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.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 18 September 2002 | ||
| Place of birth | Rotterdam, Netherlands | ||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position | Full-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Trabzonspor | ||
| Youth career | |||
| RKSV Spartaan'20 | |||
| Feyenoord | |||
| 2018–2020 | Twente | ||
| 2021–2022 | Helsingborg | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2022–2023 | Rot-Weiß Erfurt | 49 | (3) |
| 2024–2025 | Viktoria Köln | 46 | (1) |
| 2025–2026 | Estrela da Amadora | 15 | (5) |
| 2026 | Benfica | 8 | (1) |
| 2026– | Trabzonspor | 0 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2023– | Cape Verde | 14 | (4) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 08:24, 23 March 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 00:50, 4 July 2026 (UTC) | |||
Early life
Cabral was born in 2002 in the Netherlands. His parents were both from Santiago, Cape Verde.[1] As a youth player, Cabral joined the youth academy of Swedish side Helsingborg. He was regarded as a bright prospect whilst playing for the club's youth team.[2]
Club career
In 2024, Cabral signed for German side Viktoria Köln. He was described as a key part of the club's newfound defensive stability.[3]
In the summer of 2025, Cabral moved to Portugal, signing a three-year contract through to 2028 with Primeira Liga club Estrela da Amadora. Cabral 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.[4]
After impressing during the first half of the season with Estrela, on 30 December 2025, 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.[5][6] 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.[7] On 25 January, Cabral scored his first goal for Benfica, the third in a 4–0 league victory over his former club Estrela da Amadora.[8]
In June 2026, Benfica agreed to transfer Sidny Cabral to Turkish club Trabzonspor for a reported fee of €10 million, with the player arriving in Turkey to complete the move.[9]
International career
He was first called up to the Cape Verde national team for a friendly against Comoros in 2023.[10] Cabral scored his first international goal on 29 May 2025 in a friendly against Malaysia at the Kuala Lumpur Stadium.[11]
On 18 May 2026, Cabral was called up by Cape Verde's head coach Bubista for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[12][13] In the Round of 32 match against Argentina, Cabral scored the equalizing goal with a curling shot in the first half of extra time in a match that ended in a 3–2 defeat, which was considered one of the best goals of the tournament.[14][15][16]
Style of play
Cabral mainly operates as a defender. He can operate as a left-back or right-back.
Personal life
Cabral's older brother, Rodny Lopes Cabral, also plays for the Cape Verde national team.[17]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 21 March 2026[18]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Rot-Weiß Erfurt | 2021–22 | NOFV-Oberliga Süd | 11 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 11 | 2 | ||||
| 2022–23 | Regionalliga Nordost | 23 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 23 | 1 | |||||
| 2023–24 | Regionalliga Nordost | 15 | 0 | — | — | — | 3[c] | 0 | 18 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 49 | 3 | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | 52 | 3 | |||||
| Viktoria Köln | 2023–24 | 3. Liga | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1[d] | 0 | 18 | 0 | ||
| 2024–25 | 3. Liga | 29 | 1 | — | — | — | 3[d] | 2 | 32 | 3 | ||||
| Total | 46 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 4 | 2 | 50 | 3 | ||||
| Estrela da Amadora | 2025–26 | Primeira Liga | 15 | 5 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 16 | 5 | |||
| Benfica | 2025–26 | Primeira Liga | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[e] | 0 | — | 12 | 1 | |
| Trabzonspor | 2026–27 | Süper Lig | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Career total | 118 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 130 | 12 | ||
- Includes Taça de Portugal
- Includes Taça da Liga
- Appearances in Thuringian Cup
- Appearances in Middle Rhine Cup
- Appearances in UEFA Champions League
International
- As of match played 3 July 2026[19]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Verde | 2023 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 6 | 2 | |
| 2026 | 7 | 2 | |
| Total | 14 | 4 | |
- Scores and results list Cape Verde's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Cabral goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29 May 2025 | Kuala Lumpur Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |  Malaysia | 1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 2 | 8 October 2025 | Tripoli Stadium, Tripoli, Libya |  Libya | 2–3 | 3–3 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3 | 27 March 2026 | Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand |  Chile | 2–1 | 2–4 | 2026 FIFA Series |
| 4 | 3 July 2026 | Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, United States |  Argentina | 2–2 | 2–3 (a.e.t.) | 2026 FIFA World Cup |
