In every World Cup, there’s an underdog. This time, it was Cape Verde that stole the show, which nearly knocked out Lionel Messi and Argentina.

Roberto “Pico” Lopes got a hero's welcome in Ireland after the World Cup — and a red card on Friday night. The Dublin-born Shamrock Rovers defender who helped Cape Verde reach the knockout round was sent off for a challenge on a Drogheda United opponent in stoppage time of a 0-0 draw in Ireland's top league.

It was and of course still is a World Cup of dazzling superheroes who drew a huge share of the attention from the entire football world. But not only them. In recent weeks, we’ve witnessed some rema...