Cape Verde’s Vozinha Becomes Global Sensation After Draw with Spain at World Cup

Spain’s unexpected 0-0 draw against Cape Verde at the 2026 World Cup on Monday night was overshadowed by the remarkable performance of goalkeeper Vozinha, whose real name is Josimar Dias. The 40-year-old made a series of impressive saves that not only secured a point for his team but also catapulted him to international fame.

Vozinha’s rise to stardom was fueled by a campaign from CazéTV, the Brazilian streaming service broadcasting the World Cup in Brazil. During the match, he gained over 2 million followers on social media, skyrocketing from around 50,000 followers as fans rallied behind his extraordinary display.

Heroic Performance Earns Cape Verde a Hard-Fought Point

Spain entered the match without key players Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams, who were both recovering from injuries. The La Roja side struggled to break through Cape Verde’s defense, with Vozinha making seven crucial saves—six of which came from inside the penalty area—while also winning three aerial duels and preventing an expected goals (xG) total of 1.46, according to SofaScore statistics.

Despite launching 27 shots and achieving an xG of 2.29 throughout the game, Spain could not find a way past Vozinha. His nickname reflects his upbringing; he revealed to FIFA, “The nickname is because of my grandparents. I never lived with my parents… I always grew up with my grandparents.”.

Vozinha and Cabo Verde making history ??#FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/TIEc3lh2GO

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) June 15, 2026

The Brazilian audience resonated with Vozinha’s story, leading CazéTV to encourage viewers to follow him online during the broadcast. The campaign mirrored previous efforts during the Paris Olympics aimed at boosting Brazilian athletes across various sports.

After the match, an astonished Vozinha expressed his gratitude in a press conference: “We are very happy. We knew it was not going to be easy — Spain are one of the best national teams in the world. We leave here with a draw, and I think we are satisfied with that. Now we just have to keep working.” He added amidst chants from supporters, “I have dreamed of this moment my whole life… Thank you to all Cape Verdeans around the world.”.

Emotional Response as Brazilian Fans Show Support

In a heartfelt interview with CazéTV in the mixed zone, Vozinha learned about his newfound fame as a social media star and expressed his appreciation for the support he received from Brazilian fans throughout their World Cup qualifying campaign. “I cannot believe it, thank you so much. Brazilians have always had a great deal of affection for us… Now that we have arrived on the greatest stage in the world, I have felt that support and I can only be grateful,” he said.

Vozinha received gifts and a shirt from CazéTV as tokens of appreciation for his performance. Having spent last season playing for Chaves in Portugal’s second division, where his contract recently expired, he has been part of Cape Verde’s national team since 2012 and has earned 89 caps—making him one of the most capped players in his country’s history.