Midfielder Leandro Andrade, 27, who plays for Polissya, has been recalled to the Cape Verde national team for the two games against Liberia in AFCON 2027 qualifying, according to Sportinfo.az. His last cap dated back to November 2023.
Leandro Andrade is back in the Cape Verde national team. According to the outlet Sportinfo.az, the 27-year-old midfielder has been selected for the double header against Liberia on 14 and 18 November. His last cap dated back to November 2023, when he was playing for Qarabağ.
The recall comes as Cape Verde have made a poor start to their qualifying campaign. The national team lost their first two matches, against Mali (1-3) and then Rwanda (1-2). So the return of an experienced player comes at a difficult time for the squad.
A player who came through Qarabağ
Leandro Andrade left Qarabağ to join Polissya in summer 2026. With the Azerbaijani club, he was a four-time Azerbaijan champion and won the national cup twice.
In his new colours, he has played 12 matches in all competitions this season, scoring 3 goals and providing 3 assists.
At international level, he has seven caps for Cape Verde. His last call-up dated back to November 2023, three years ago.
Two defeats to open
Cape Verde have yet to pick up a point in this AFCON 2027 qualifying group. The defeats to Mali (1-3) and then Rwanda (1-2) leave the national team in a delicate position.
So the two games against Liberia come after that difficult start. Cape Verde play Liberia on 14 November, with the return match, Liberia v Cape Verde, on 18 November.
A report from Sportinfo.az
The information comes from the outlet Sportinfo.az, which reports that Leandro Andrade is in the squad named for the two matches. At this stage it has not been picked up by other sources in the reporting for this article.
The Polissya midfielder’s return would mark his first cap since November 2023, when he was still playing for Qarabağ.