Pedro Brito, better known in the soccer world as “Bubista,” the coach who led the debutant Cape Verde national team to a historic World Cup appearance, has found a new home. The Moroccan club RS Berkane announced on Tuesday that it had signed him to a two-year contract.
Bubista takes over as head coach to fill the void left by Moïne Chaâbani, who recently left the team to take the reins of the national team of his native Tunisia, another World Cup participant. Following the announcement, the Cape Verdean soccer federation bid farewell to its leader via social media, thanking him for his “dedication, professionalism, and contribution” to the historic national team.
Bubista’s recent track record speaks for itself. Cape Verde wowed the world with its spectacular World Cup debut, kicking off with a surprising scoreless draw against Spain (which would ultimately go on to win the tournament), fueled by a monumental performance from its 40-year-old goalkeeper, Vozinha. Subsequently, valuable draws against Uruguay and Saudi Arabia secured them second place in their group and the coveted ticket to the round of 16.
In the knockout round, the Cape Verdeans made Argentina work extremely hard for their victory. They pushed the powerful Albiceleste squad all the way to extra time, ultimately falling by a narrow 3-2 margin in an epic match; in fact, Cape Verde’s second equalizing goal, scored by Sidny Lopes Cabral, was named the best goal of the entire tournament.
Now, the award-winning coach will take the helm at RS Berkane, a team that recently won the CAF Confederation Cup (Africa’s second-tier tournament) in 2025. Interestingly, this is the home club of Fouzi Lekjaa, the influential leader of Moroccan soccer and a very close ally of current FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
