Bubista
Personal information
Full name Pedro Leitão Brito
Date of birth (1970-01-06) 6 January 1970 (age 56)
Place of birth Boa Vista, Portuguese Cape Verde
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[1]
Position Centre-back
Team information
Current team
Cape Verde
(manager)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1996 Badajoz 2 (0)
1996–2002 ASA
2002–2003 Estoril
2003–2006 Falcões do Norte
International career
1989–2005 Cape Verde 21 (0)
Managerial career
2012–2013 Mindelense
2015 Académica do Mindelo
2015–2016 Sporting Praia
2017 Académica do Mindelo
2018–2019 Batuque
2020– Cape Verde
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Pedro Leitão Brito ( Portuguese: [ˈpe.dɾu lej.ˈtɐ̃w ˈbɾi.tu]; born 6 January 1970), commonly known as Bubista ( Kabuverdianu: [bu.ˈbis.tɐ]), is a Cape Verdean football manager and former player who played as a centre-back. He is the manager of the Cape Verde national team.

On 13 October 2025, he led Cape Verde to its first ever FIFA World Cup.

Club career

In 1995, Bubista joined Spanish Segunda División club Badajoz, making two league appearances in his single season at the club. In 1997, Bubista joined Angolan club ASA. Bubista played for ASA for six seasons, before returning to his native Cape Verde, joining Falcões do Norte in 2003.[2]

International career

In 1991, Bubista made his debut for Cape Verde.[2] Bubista later captained the country, making 28 appearances for Cape Verde during his career.[3]

Managerial career

Following his playing career, Bubista managed domestic Cape Verdean clubs Mindelense, Académica do Mindelo, Sporting Praia and Batuque. In January 2020, he was named manager of Cape Verde.[3] He managed his nation to qualification for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations after a 1–0 away victory over Mozambique on the final matchday.[4] He later guided the team to the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations,[5] where they advanced to the quarterfinals.[6]

On 13 October 2025, he led Cape Verde to its first ever FIFA World Cup after a 3–0 home win against Eswatini. Doing so, Cape Verde became the second-smallest nation ever to reach the World Cup after Iceland did it in 2018.[7] He was subsequently named the CAF Coach of the Year for 2025, at the CAF Awards 2025.[8][9]

Managerial record

As of match played 15 June 2026
Managerial record by team and tenure
Team Nat From To Record Ref.
G W D L Win %
Cape Verde January 2020 present 65 31 17 17 047.69
Career Total 65 31 17 17 047.69 —

Honours

Player

ASA
  • Girabola: 2002

Coach

CS Mindelense
  • Cape Verdean Football Championships: 2013
  • São Vicente Premier Division: 2012–13

Individual

  • CAF Coach of the Year: 2025[9]

References

  1. ^ Bubista at WorldFootball.net
  2. ^ a b "Bubista". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Bubista is the new leader of the Cape Verdean national football team". portugalinews. 29 January 2020. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  4. ^ "Mozambique 0–1 Cape Verde Islands". ESPN. 31 March 2021.
  5. ^ "Profile of Cape Verde Islands team for 2023 Africa Cup of Nations". Reuters. 8 January 2024.
  6. ^ "Mendes penalty sends Cape Verde into quarter-finals". CAF Online. 29 January 2024.
  7. ^ "Cape Verde become second-smallest nation to reach World Cup". BBC. 13 October 2025. Retrieved 13 October 2025.
  8. ^ "Achraf Hakimi, Ghizlane Chebbak lead Morocco's Golden Night at CAF Awards 2025". Confederation of African Football. 19 November 2025. Retrieved 1 December 2025.
  9. ^ a b "Bubista Named 2025 African Coach of the Year After Historic World Cup Qualification". Africa Top Sports. 19 November 2025.