This is a Tempo Cape Verde national team 2023-24 home jersey featuring the name and number of star winger Bebé.

Despite having a population of only just over 500,000, Cape Verde have emerged in recent years as a genuine force in African football. Cape Verdeans abroad, who are more numerous than the population of the islands themselves, are a major source of players for the national team, with many of the squad competing in some of Europe’s top leagues. Cape Verde first qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations and 2013 and were one of the surprises of the tournament, advancing to the quarter finals at the expense of Morocco and Angola. They qualified for AFCON again in 2015, however didn’t make it through the group stage this time and did not return to the tournament until the 2021 edition. At AFCON 2021, Cape Verde progressed through the group stages and lost to eventual champions Senegal in the Round of 16. The team continued their strong form at AFCON 2023, where they achieved their greatest-ever finish in an African Cup of Nations, reaching the Quarter-Finals and finished 5^th overall. They recorded a historic win over Ghana in the opening group stage match before drawing 2-2 against Egypt and later defeating Mauritania in the Round of 16.

Bebé has had a prolific club career and an even more remarkable life story, with the 33-year-old winger eventually making his mark at international level in the later years of his career. Abandoned by his parents at a young age, Bebé grew up in a homeless shelter near Lisbon. He began his football career as an amateur with Loures, before joining Estrela da Amadora in 2009. A year later, he was signed by Vitória de Guimarães but transferred almost immediately to Manchester United for a fee of about £7 million, despite manager Alex Ferguson admitting he had never seen Bebé play. He struggled for opportunities at Manchester United and was out on loan for the majority of his time at the club before signing with Portuguese giants Benfica in 2014. He again was loaned out by Benfica, firstly Córdoba for the 2014-15 season and then fellow La Liga club Rayo Vallecano for the following season. After a stint at Eibar, also in the Spanish top tier, Bebé retuned to Rayo Vallecano in 2018 and has remained at the club since then, finally being able to settle in their team and perform strongly. After playing youth football for Portugal, Bebé made his senior international debut with Cape Verde in 2022 and he has since become a key player for the Tubarões Azuis. He has scored 6 goals in 21 matches for the national team, with his incredible free kick in the AFCON 2023 group stage match against Mozambique being one of the great goals in the history of the tournament.

Cape Verde 2023-24 Home (BEBÉ #21) Jersey/Shirt