Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha emerges after Spain World Cup draw
The 40-year-old Chaves keeper helped Cape Verde hold Spain 0-0, earning player of the match and a surge in global attention.
By Lucas Ferreira · Science & Environment Writer
3 min read
Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha became one of the early stories of the 2026 World Cup after helping his team hold Spain to a 0-0 draw in their Group H opener. Al Jazeera reported that the 40-year-old was named player of the match after repeated saves denied the European champions at Atlanta Stadium on Monday.
Al Jazeera said Cape Verde spent long periods under pressure, with Spain keeping the island nation pinned in its own half. Vozinha was credited with key stops late in the first half against Ferran Torres, Pedri and Aymeric Laporte.
After the final whistle, Al Jazeera reported, Vozinha cried as teammates surrounded him. He later told reporters he was proud to represent Cape Verde, described by Al Jazeera as the third-smallest nation to qualify for a World Cup.
“Very proud… It is an honour for me to represent my country,” Vozinha told reporters, according to Al Jazeera.
Club career across several countries
Vozinha plays for Chaves in Portugal’s second division, Al Jazeera reported. The World Cup is the biggest stage of a long career that began in Cape Verde with Batuque FC before a move to CS Mindelense.
According to Al Jazeera, his career has also included spells with Progresso in Angola, Zimbru Chisinau in Moldova, Gil Vicente in Portugal, AEL Limassol in Cyprus and AS Trencin in Slovakia. That path made him one of the more experienced players in Cape Verde’s squad before the Spain match brought him wider attention.
The name on his shirt
Vozinha is not his given name. Al Jazeera identified him as Josimar Jose Evora Dias, and reported that his nickname came from his grandparents, with whom he spent much of his childhood while his father served in the military and his mother worked.
The nickname means “little granny” in Portuguese, according to Al Jazeera. Vozinha, from Sao Vicente in Cape Verde, has used it on his shirt throughout his club career.
In an interview with FIFA earlier this year, he explained why the name stayed with him after he left Cape Verde. “When I arrived in Angola, there was another goalkeeper named Josimar, and I said, ‘I am not going to put Josimar II on the shirt’. If everyone knew me as Vozinha in Cape Verde, that’s what I would be,” he told FIFA.
Family behind the emotion
Vozinha linked his post-match tears to his grandparents and mother, according to Al Jazeera. He told reporters his grandparents had died a few years earlier after playing a major role in his life.
“I cried because I grew up with my grandparents and, unfortunately, they were not here; they died a few years before, and they did everything for me and my life,” he said, according to Al Jazeera.
He also said his mother had been unable to attend because of a visa issue. “Also, my mum, she didn’t manage to be here because of the visa. The money for the visa, we didn’t manage on time, and I would like her to be here,” he told reporters, according to Al Jazeera.
Rapid rise online
Al Jazeera reported that Vozinha’s Instagram following rose from about 500,000 to nearly 5 million within hours of the Spain match. The performance also drew public praise from French footballer Paul Pogba.
“The Cape Verde goalkeeper is really something, waaaaw,” Pogba wrote on social media after the match, according to Al Jazeera.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.