Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha could not hold back his tears after the final whistle of a 0-0 draw with Spain in the opening match of Group H at the 2026 World Cup. At 40 years old, he was surrounded by teammates celebrating his brilliant performance, saving every attack from the European champions.
Throughout the match on June 15 in Atlanta, Cape Verde were pinned back in their own half, but whenever Spain broke through the resolute defense, Vozinha was there to thwart them. He earned the Man of the Match award with a series of spectacular saves, including three key stops against Ferran Torres, Pedri and Aymeric Laporte late in the first half.
Vozinha, whose real name is Josimar Jose Evora Dias, was given his nickname by his grandparents as a child. In Portuguese, Vozinha means 'little grandma.' He explained, 'When I went to Angola, there was another goalkeeper named Josimar, and I said I would not wear Josimar II on my shirt. If everyone in Cape Verde knows me as Vozinha, that's my name.'
Hailing from the island of Sao Vicente, Vozinha has had a nomadic career across multiple clubs: Batuque FC and CS Mindelense in his homeland, Progresso (Angola), Zimbru Chisinau (Moldova), Gil Vicente (Portugal), AEL Limassol (Cyprus), AS Trencin (Slovakia) and currently Chaves in Portugal's second division.
After the match, an emotional Vozinha said, 'So proud... It is an honor for me to represent my country.' He explained his tears: 'I grew up with my grandparents, but unfortunately they passed away a few years ago. They did everything for me. And my mother, she could not be here because of a visa issue. The money for the visa, we could not get it in time, and I wish my mother were here.'
Vozinha's feat quickly spread on social media. His Instagram account grew from 500,000 followers to nearly 5 million within hours of the match. French football star Paul Pogba also praised him online: 'Cape Verde goalkeeper was really amazing, wow.'
