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From 50K to 4.4 million: Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha’s popularity soars after FIFA World Cup heroics against Spain
Josimar “Vozinha” Dias had a day to remember as he inspired Cape Verde to register a goalless draw against Spain in the FIFA World Cup.
It was a day to remember for Cape Verde's goalkeeper Josimar “Vozinha” Dias on Monday. The 40-year-old inspired his team in Atlanta to help the side walk away with a goalless draw against tournament favourites Spain in the FIFA World Cup 2026. The value of the result can be seen in a simple fact: a single player on Spain's bench was worth more than Vozinha and the entire Cape Verde lineup on the transfer market. This fact perfectly describes the gulf between the two teams on paper.
However, two hours after the final whistle, it was Cape Verde who made their way out, exuding the main character energy and pushing Spain to a 0-0 draw. This result in Atlanta emerged as one of the greatest-ever underdog stories in World Cup history.
Not many knew about Vozinha before the match against Spain. He began the contest with just 50,000 followers on Instagram. The seven saves and the defence of the goal against Spain have now led to the Portuguese second-division player witnessing his followers count rise to more than 4 million.
As of now, Vozinha's followers count stands at 4.5 million, and it is growing by the minute. On Monday, he had also become the oldest-ever goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet in the FIFA World Cup. He also became the second-oldest goalkeeper to make his debut in the tournament.
‘Worked all my life’
After putting in such a thrilling performance, Vozinha got a bit emotional, saying he had worked all his life to play in the FIFA World Cup.
“I work all my life for this, for this moment, for this dream. A lot of generations in the past (dreamed of) this day but they did not achieve. And now the dream comes true,” he said after the draw against Spain.
“The dream came true. We competed against Spain, one of the best teams in the world. We are very happy and proud of all the players and people of Cape Verde,” he added.
The Cape Verde defender Steven Moreira also added that it took him a bit of time to understand the enormity of the task and how his side was able to compete with a lineup of Spain's calibre.
“I think I don't realise for the moment what we did. That was a very good game against the best team in the world. I'm very happy for my country, the fans, everything. It's just amazing because Spain, wow, what a team,” he said.
In the match, Cape Verde got its first corner kick in the 90th minute. The side held back for the majority of the game, keeping Spain at bay despite the latter earning chance after chance at the goal.
