Vozinha, the 40-year-old goalkeeper for Cape Verde, skyrocketed in popularity on Instagram after his heroic performance in his country’s World Cup debut against a powerhouse Spain squad on Monday.
But the moment was somewhat overshadowed by the absence of Vozinha’s mom, who the player said couldn’t attend the match due to issues getting a visa in time.
For 90-plus minutes, Cape Verde weathered the storm of Spain’s offensive attack, which according to ESPN culminated in 27 shots, of which seven were on target, with an expected goal tally of 2.29.
Even though the final score turned out to be a 0-0 draw, the result was a major victory for Cape Verde, which was 67th in the FIFA rankings, a far cry from Spain at No. 2.
Vozinha was named Man of the Match after his seven saves helped keep the match against Spain scoreless and gave Cape Verde a much-needed point as they look to advance past the group stage of the World Cup.
Who is Vozinha?
Born Josimar José Évora Dias, Vozinha celebrated his 40th birthday a mere 12 days before starting for Cape Verde, making him the oldest player to appear in a nation’s debut World Cup match, according to Opta.
Vozinha made his professional debut as a goalkeeper for Batuque FC at the age of 25.
“We work in life to have moments like this,” he said after the match, per The Athletic. “I am 40 now but I was not a professional up until I was 25. This is a reward for all this journey.”
In a 2024 interview with FIFA, Vozinha explained how he got his name, which means “Granny,” in Creole.
“In my area, the other boys were much older, and I’d always be playing with them in the street, getting kicked about a lot,” he said. “That’s because I was very good with my feet and I was competitive and rebellious, I didn’t like losing. I’d get knocked about a lot and whenever I couldn’t get my own back with things like that, I’d go home in a rage, with a face like thunder, and they’d make fun of me, saying I was going off to complain to my grandparents.”
Mom’s absence from game due to U.S. visa issues
Vozinha, who was visibly emotional as he walked off the pitch, later revealed his mother was unable to attend Monday’s match because of a U.S. visa issue, according to The Athletic.
"I cried after the game because I grew up with my grandparents when I was a kid, and they could not be there. They passed away a few years ago,” he said. “My mum could not be here either for a VISA issue, and the money we had to pay for it. We did not manage to do this in time."
On winning Man of the Match, he added, "I am so proud about being Man of the Match. For me it's an honour to represent the country."
According to USA TODAY, prior to Cape Verde’s World Cup debut, Vozinha had 45,000 followers on Instagram. As of this writing, the total had soared to 3.9 million.
