Recommendations of the Editorial team
Since the 2024 European Championship, many German football fans have been a little irritated by one team in particular: Spain. Cucurella became public enemy No. 1, and the paella was eaten with a slight grimace. Spain became European champions and took away a second summer fairy tale from us. The Spaniards are also among the favorites for the title at the 2026 World Cup. How could it be otherwise with a team that – peppered with players like Lamine Yamal and Dani Olmo – has an estimated squad value of around 1.4 billion euros.
And then there is Cape Verde. A country, a group of islands in Africa with a population of around 530,000. If Spain’s squad value were divided into every resident, everyone would receive around 2.6 million euros. When the lot was drawn for the 2026 World Cup and it was clear that Spain would face Cape Verde, it was clear to just about everyone that Spain would win hands down. But the betting slips were filled out without Vozinha.
Man of the match
The game begins, and alongside superstar Dani Olmo, public enemy No. 1 also sets his sights on Cape Verde’s goal. But despite the Spaniards controlling the game, something happened that no one expected: nothing. The island nation kept zero for over 90 minutes – and there was only one man in the goal and at the center of this sensation. The goalkeeper that all football fans have been talking about since that evening is called “Grandmother”. At least that is Vozinha’s translation, because at 40 he is more than twice as old as superstar Lamine Yamal and many other teammates at the World Cup.
His real name is Josimar José Evora Dias and he plays in the Portuguese 2nd League for GD Chaves. Before the game against Spain, Vozinha had 46,000 followers on Instagram – almost 9% of the population of Cape Verde. After the 90-minute game against Spain, there were suddenly over 2 million. When a reporter asked him about it, Vozinha could hardly believe it. Just voted Man of the Match, over 2 million new followers – and his contract with the second division club expires in 15 days. Shortly after the game, the Cape Verdean goalkeeper burst into tears in the arms of his teammates, moved by their shared performance – and at the time he didn’t know anything about his new followers.
The visa
Not enough empathy for this man yet? There’s more. Thanks to the US entry requirements, Vozinha was unable to have his mother with him at the stadium: “because we couldn’t pay the visa deposit on time.” Understandable given a processing fee of between $5,000 and $15,000 for travelers from Cape Verde. His grandparents, who raised him as a child, have already passed away and are now watching from above. According to “Tagesspiegel”, Vozinha himself even considered not taking part in the tournament because he felt “tired”. His teammates are said to have finally persuaded him to go to the World Cup.
From second division goalkeeper to world star
And it’s not just his grandparents who have been paying special attention to their grandson since June 15th. As of 1:00 p.m. on June 16, Vozinha has 6.7 million followers on Instagram. The man no longer seems to know what to do with the greetings and diligently reposts all the congratulations in his story. Just as this article was being written, Vozinha gained around 400,000 new followers.
If the number continues to rise, he could become one of the most famous participants in this World Cup. For comparison, our shooting star Florian Wirtz has 5 million followers and was the most expensive Premier League transfer of all time. In the future, Vozinha should no longer have to worry about processing fees or an expiring contract. Because Vozinha is now an influencer for better or worse.