Vozinha was already a legend. It’s just that most of the world outside of Cape Verde didn’t know it yet. They do now.
No praise would be too high for any of the players who achieved the 2026 World Cup’s most unlikely result so far. But the hero of the 0-0 draw against Spain was Josimar Jose Evora Dias, better known as Vozinha, the team’s vice-captain and veteran goalkeeper.
He turned 40 a couple of weeks before the start of the tournament, making him the second-oldest man to make his debut at a World Cup. He is the oldest to appear for a team playing for the first time. Vozinha was the man of the match, making seven crucial saves. His stability and calmness were equally important, displaying the qualities that define a leader. If the players were panicking during the game, Vozinha seemed to be the calming influence.
At full time, he burst into tears. His eyes still appeared red and misty when he was embraced by Stopira, another veteran of Cape Verdean football. Stopira, who retired last year, was persuaded to return due to his emotional influence on the squad.
Much has been written about this Cape Verde team. Its success has many contributors. However, the image of Vozinha and Stopira embracing should be the enduring symbol of this moment. Along with captain Ryan Mendes, they have been stalwarts in the team’s journey over the past decade.
“I cried because I grew up with my grandparents and they could not be there,” Vozinha said after the game. “They passed away. My mum could not be here either because of a visa issue, and the money we had to pay for it. We did not manage to do this in time.”
His family shaped his life from an early age and continues to influence him through his name. His birth name was given by his father in tribute to Josimar, the Brazilian right-back from the 1986 World Cup. Initially, the plan was to name him Valdano after former Real Madrid forward Jorge Valdano.
His nickname comes from his grandparents. In Creole, ‘Vozinha’ means ‘Granny’. He explained to FIFA.com in 2024 how the nickname came about. He was younger than others and played with older boys in the street. When they’d make fun of him, he’d go home upset, leading them to joke he was going to complain to his grandparents.
As a young player on the Cape Verdean island of Sao Vicente, coaches often overlooked him due to his small stature. However, a growth spurt in his late teens provided more opportunities. He turned professional in his mid-20s, leaving home to play for Angolan side Progresso. His career included stints in Cyprus, Slovakia, Moldova, and Portugal. He now plays for the Portuguese second-tier side Chaves.
Vozinha debuted internationally in 2012. Only Mendes has more caps for Cape Verde. Both have participated in all major tournaments the team qualified for, including four Africa Cup of Nations and now the World Cup.
Vozinha, Stopira, and Mendes form the emotional core of the Cape Verde team. He nearly wasn’t part of this historic moment. Younger Bruno Varela was chosen over him in the recent AFCON qualifying campaign. Cape Verde finished bottom of their group and didn’t reach the tournament in Morocco, 2025. Vozinha discussed a difficult period with Goalkeeper.com:
“It was a very hard time. I was thinking of stopping with the national team. All my team-mates encouraged me to stay because of the World Cup. I stayed because it was my dream, the dream of all of us.”
This result is one of the great upsets in World Cup history. It serves as a reminder that smaller nations competing doesn’t mean one-sided games. Though Spain had many chances, Vozinha’s heroics showed minnows can be competitive.
Vozinha now faces fame. His Instagram followers jumped from around 50,000 to over two million after the game. He and his team will revel in their glory.
“We work in life to have moments like this,” Vozinha said. “I am 40 now but I was not a professional until I was 25. This is a reward for all this journey. I would tell 18-year-old Vozinha to be really proud of himself. He worked a lot. To be honest, I never dreamt of stuff like this when I was a kid, but after this game I can tell my younger version that it was all worth it.”
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