Angola was one of the surprises at the last Africa Cup of Nations, reaching their best-ever result by getting to the quarter-finals. This time, they want to go even further. Flashscore got to talk to Hugo Marques, who is the oldest player to ever play for Angola, as he hopes to play in his first AFCON.

We spoke after the friendly against Argentina. What was it like to play the World Champions, and especially Messi?

I don't think anyone thought Argentina, the world champion and number one team, would come to Angola for a game. The last time they played outside their country was in Naples. It's hard to get a team like that to come to Africa, unless it’s a big competition like the World Cup in South Africa. I can't recall any other team that big coming to play on the African continent.

Everyone kept asking, 'Is Messi really coming to Angola? What about vaccinations? Will he really go through all that?'

People from the country handled all of this, not just the Federation. They just told us, 'We're planning the match, they're making the trip, and important people from the country and government will be with them. All we know is that there will be a game against Argentina on November 14.' Then people started saying it cost 10, 12, or 15 million euros, and they would only pay that if Messi played.

It was an unusual experience, something to remember. Playing against Argentina and against one of the best players ever was something I never thought would happen. And not letting Messi score? That was beyond my wildest dreams.

I thought about it a lot because I knew I would play. On game day, I knew I'd start because we agreed to play 45 minutes each half. I was happy to start. I imagined Messi shooting and me defending, and it really happened, which was great for me.

Is there a moment from that game that stands out? Did you get a jersey?

Everyone started picking out who they wanted jerseys from—Lautaro, Messi, etc. I decided to ask Geronimo Rulli, who plays my position.

After the game, I talked to him, and he asked if he could have mine too. I apologised and said I only had one, but told him I would talk to Clinton Mata, who plays for Lyon. When Clinton comes to AFCON in December, I'd give him my shirt to give to Rulli when they play each other. Rulli said that was fine.

I showered and went to the Argentina locker room. Rulli came to the door and asked if I had his jersey yet, saying he gave it to someone from the Federation to give to me. I was like, 'What? You think someone actually gave it to me?' (laughs). Anyone could show up pretending to be from the Federation, take the shirt, and disappear. And that’s what happened. I didn’t get the shirt.

I'll tell Clinton when he comes, and I'll give him my shirt with a note saying, 'Here's my shirt, but I didn't get yours because it's gone.' I wish I had an Argentina jersey, but the save I made on Messi’s shot, and the photo of us shaking hands after he knew about the save, will stay with my family and me forever. That recognition was worth more than any jersey.

It was just a friendly, but Scaloni praised Angola's performance. How much did this game help you get ready for AFCON?

These games make us play our best and make us focus. They are the best, which is why they create mistakes. Not every team gets to get ready by playing teams like this.

It was good for us. It showed that we can have a good AFCON. We held on to the ball, made good plays, and had scoring chances.

Some people thought Argentina would have the ball the whole time and we’d just be defending, which would be normal since Argentina had almost their whole starting team. It was a good test. Getting ready for AFCON against Argentina? Can't get better than that.

What did the team show during that game?

As the game went on, I could feel their confidence. It shows what kind of team we are.

The coach has done a great job. Usually, when you come to the national team, you think you can relax a bit with friends you haven’t seen in a while. But he keeps telling us we can’t take it easy. I’ve seen a change in how the team is organised.

We had chances to score against Argentina, and we showed character.

If we don’t make it out of the group stage, we’ll be very disappointed.

How would you describe the Angolan national team right now? You recently got a new coach.

We're changing things up. I’ve worked with the old coach for a long time, and the new coach wants us to focus more and play with more energy during training.

He’s been to seven AFCONs, so he knows a lot. He won two AFCONs as an assistant, so he knows what it takes.

The old coach wanted the same thing, but I felt we weren’t focused enough before games, and that wasn’t good. Things can go well because we have talented players, or badly, like in the World Cup qualification.

Angola has been more competitive lately, but finished fourth in the qualifying group, where Cape Verde did surprisingly well. Where do you think the team has improved, and where has it struggled?

The coach told us during training, 'I want a team that can beat anyone. We can’t be good enough to beat some teams but lose to others.' We needed that during the World Cup qualifying—more consistency, more drive.

After AFCON, everyone thought we’d do well in World Cup qualifying. It was the same team, and anyone who makes it to the quarter-finals of AFCON can compete with the teams going to the World Cup. That's what everyone, including me, was thinking.

We started with a draw in Cape Verde, which is always good, but then we drew with Mauritius. You could tell we were missing something, and that’s the step we need to take. We need to play well against good teams, but we also need to beat teams that are supposed to be weaker. Then Angola can go to the World Cup again.

In 2024, you did as well as you ever have and reached the quarter-finals. Is the goal to do the same, or does the group with Egypt and South Africa make that harder?

We’re getting ready to get out of the group stage, and we think we can. If we win one game in the group, we can get into the top third right away. That’s good.

At the last AFCON, Angola wasn’t expected to win the group, but we came in first. That tells you a lot about what could happen in the round of 16. First, we could play a third-place team from another group.

We have to do our job and try to get as high in the group as possible. If we don’t make it out of the group stage, we’ll be very disappointed.

In recent years, African teams have improved. What do you think has changed?

European teams are more interested in African players. Some smaller African teams now have four or five players in good European clubs, which is helping the others. The country itself has better training and a better league. That’s what starts the improvement.

CAF requires all pitches in the African Champions League to be good to play on. That didn’t used to happen. Now, there’s a strict inspection. When you get to the group stage, all the stadiums are new or have been updated. This makes football get better and is good for all the teams.

So, the growth of organisations helping?

Yes, and AFCON is one of the most-watched events in the world after the World Cup. Africa is everywhere. On YouTube and streaming, AFCON gets a lot of views.

If you play well in AFCON, you get good contracts. The president of CAF has helped Africa grow a lot.

What are Angola's strengths right now?

I think we’re very strong on defence. If we can keep that up, and because we have very good players, we can be a very strong team.

What does Angola need to do to get back to the World Cup?

We need to focus on long-term plans. Changing coaches all the time and not sticking with a plan isn’t good.

Now we have a president who likes football. He was involved with Interclub for years and won a championship. The vice president, Kali, played in the 2006 World Cup and has a lot of international experience. Their involvement is good, but we need to keep it going.

If we have a good AFCON, then some of our players will leave, and we need to be ready to fill those spots to keep the project going.

Some players never used to leave, and others played in the second divisions of Portugal and Spain. Now, we have players in LaLiga, Ligue 1, and Serie A. We need to keep that up so we can be a strong team and have a chance to go to the World Cup.

This will be the best AFCON ever.

How is the team getting ready for AFCON?

It’s been going well. We’ll have more warm-up matches with the final team. Everyone wants to be there.

This will be the best AFCON ever because Morocco is getting ready to host the World Cup, so we’ll have great conditions.

It’s going to be a competitive AFCON. The players are ready; they want to play for the national team. They don’t ask to stay with their clubs to fight for a spot because they know a good AFCON can really help their careers.

I feel like the team is strong, and everyone is fighting for their place.

Who are the favourites or potential surprises?

The teams that played in the World Cup will be strong. They’ll have good morale and a stronger team.

Egypt will always be number one for me. They’ve won the most African titles. Then there’s Sadio Mane and Senegal, Ivory Coast, who made it to the end even though no one expected it; Nigeria will want to get revenge for not going to the World Cup, and Congo will feel good because they reached the playoffs.

I think the teams that are going to the World Cup, like Congo and Cameroon, will be the main contenders, even though they’re going to have changes.

I knew my chance would come, and I’ll be there.

You were a substitute at AFCON 2012, and now you might actually get to play. How would it feel to finally play and represent Angola?

Thirteen years later, I might finally play. It’s been my goal since I decided to play for Angola in 2011.

I didn’t get to play, but I was there with maybe the best team Angola has ever had. Now, in 2025/26, I could play. I hope I do. I’m going to fight for it, and even at 39, I feel strong.

You were born in Braga and played for Portugal's youth teams, but you joined the Angolan national team a long time ago. But then you weren’t on the team for almost seven years. Why do you think that happened?

Things change, managers and coaches change, and someone always ends up getting affected.

I was called up for AFCON, but after that, I wasn’t called up because the coach changed. I was still playing, but the new coach just didn’t call me. I went back to Portugal, and I still didn’t get called up because the coach mostly called up players from Girabola.

Then Pedro Goncalves took over, and Benfica’s former goalkeeping coach, who had worked in Angola, called me and asked if I wanted to come back. I said I always wanted to; they just didn’t call me.

In those seven years, I missed two or three AFCONs where I could have played. It was hard, but I always said I wouldn’t give up. I knew my chance would come, and if things go well, I’ll be there.

Did going back to Angola help you get back on the national team? Is that why you signed with Petro?

I didn’t go back to Angola because of the national team. I was in South Africa, in Cape Town, and Pedro Goncalves was already calling me up.

My return to Angola actually had something to do with my leaving the national team. Something bad happened with a fan on the field. The coach couldn’t deal with it, but I could. He took me out of the team in a qualifying game, even though we were in first place. I felt like he didn’t support me. I should have taken the punch, but I couldn’t, and that’s what happened.

I came to Petro to win titles. The money was also a factor, but I wanted to be in a country I knew because I was alone in South Africa, which was far from my home. In Angola, I was closer. That’s why I moved.

You're close to reaching a big goal. What other goals do you have? Will you still be playing for Angola in the next few years?

I’ll be 29 on January 15th. If we're in AFCON, it means we're close to the final. People say Ronaldo’s 1000th goal will be in the World Cup final, and I dream of celebrating my birthday with the national team.

I want to play in the African Champions League with Petro de Luanda. Then, I want to play in AFCON, which I haven’t done yet, and I want to do better than we did in the last AFCON.

Will I keep playing for Angola? It depends on the coach. I’ll have another year at Petro de Luanda, and if he thinks I’m doing well, I’ll be happy to keep playing because I want to experience everything I can in my career.