--- title: Vozinha slug: vozinha-30724 url: /detay/vozinha-30724 type: biography language: English entity: primary: Vozinha type: biography categories: - name: Sport slug: spor url: /kategori/spor tags: - vozinha - SporBiyografisi - Kalecilik - FutbolEfsaneleri - FutbolHaberleri - FutbolTransfer - FutbolAnaliz - DunyaKupasi2026 - FIFA2026 - BaşarıHikayesi - Kaptanlık - MilliTakım - DünyaKupası - sosyalmedya author: Burak Enes created_at: 2026-07-09T13:36:42.309485+03:00 updated_at: 2026-07-09T13:36:42.309497+03:00 image: https://cdn.t3pedia.org/media/uploads/2026/07/09/Wub4ejWCA1eaUpwEHCQ9Lhx1Qs2LhetN.jpg --- # Vozinha > Vozinha (Josimar Dias), a 40-year-old goalkeeper from Cape Verde, gained prominence in his country's first match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup with seven saves against Spain. ## KURE Information Cards ![](https://cdn.t3pedia.org/media/uploads/2026/07/09/YrdOQpulfla4e90cXfS5HyzN3XFT2fha.jpg) *Vozinha (AA)* | Field | Value | |-------|-------| | Full Name | Josimar José Évora Dias | | Date of Birth | 3 June 1968 | | Place of Birth | Mindelo, São Vicente, Cape Verde | | Height | 1.89 m | | Position | Defender | | Preferred Foot | Right | | Nationality | Cape Verde | | Manager | Adex Management | | Current Club | Unattached | | Market Value | 50,000 euros | ## Article Content **Vozinha**, born **Josimar José Évora Dias** (3 June 1986, Mindelo, São Vicente, Cabo Verde), is a professional footballer from Cabo Verde. Playing as a goalkeeper, [Vozinha](/en/detay/vozinha-a3d91/llms.txt) has served as vice-captain of the Cabo Verde national team and gained international recognition for his performance during his country’s historic first appearance at the [2026 FIFA World Cup](/en/detay/2026-fifa-dunya-kupasi-d187a/llms.txt). Standing 1.89 metres tall and right-footed, Vozinha is currently without a club; his most recent team was Chaves, a club in Portugal’s second division. ### Early Life and the Origin of His Name Josimar José Évora Dias was born in Mindelo, a port city on the island of São Vicente in Cabo Verde. His father, Zé Pedro, intended to name him after Jorge Valdano, the Argentine forward who won the 1986 FIFA World Cup alongside Diego Maradona. However, the civil registrar refused to register a foreign name. In response, Zé Pedro chose the name of another standout player from the same 1986 World Cup—the Brazilian right-back Josimar—and named his son accordingly. Vozinha’s grandmother, Maria Senhorinha dos Santos, struggled to pronounce “Valdano” and instead called him “Dani” throughout his childhood. It was also his grandmother who gave him the nickname “Vozinha,” which means “little grandmother” in Cape Verdean Creole. The nickname originated from street matches Vozinha played as a child against older boys. In a 2024 interview with FIFA, he recounted how, after being beaten up in these games and unable to retaliate, he would return home angry—only for his friends to tease him by saying they would go complain to his “grandmother.” Due to his father’s military service and his mother’s long working hours, Vozinha spent much of his childhood raised by his grandparents. He learned the fundamentals of football on the streets of Mindelo. During his youth, his small stature led coaches to overlook him frequently, but after a late growth spurt he began receiving more opportunities. He only embarked on his professional career at the age of 25. In Cabo Verdean society, there is strong affection for Portuguese-speaking countries, particularly Brazil and Portugal. Vozinha’s grandfather, an avid football fan and admirer of Brazil’s national team—then among the world’s strongest—supported them passionately. ### Club Career Vozinha began his club career with Batuque FC in Cabo Verde before transferring to CS Mindelense, another club based in Mindelo. Later in his career, he moved abroad, playing for Progresso in Angola, Zimbru Chișinău in Moldova, Gil Vicente in Portugal, AEL Limassol in Cyprus, and AS Trenčín in Slovakia. Records also indicate he played in Romania. He made the most official appearances while wearing the jersey of AEL Limassol. His final club was Chaves, competing in Portugal’s second-tier league, Liga Portugal 2. Vozinha joined the 2026 World Cup as a free agent after leaving Chaves. According to Transfermarkt, his market value is listed at 50,000 euros and his management is handled by Adex Management. Following his World Cup performance, his name was linked with clubs including Real Betis from Spain, Feirense from Portugal, Inter Miami CF from the United States, Avaí FC and Atlético Goianiense from Brazil, Al-Diriyah FC from Saudi Arabia, and Ceará SC. His brother Delmiro is also a footballer and, as of the latest records, is without a club. ### National Team Career Vozinha made his debut for the Cabo Verde national team in 2012. Over a career spanning more than 14 years, he has represented his country over 90 times; only Ryan Mendes, the team’s captain, has played more matches for Cabo Verde. Vozinha and Mendes are the only two players to have featured in all of Cabo Verde’s major tournaments—the four [Africa Cup of Nations](/en/detay/africa-cup-of-nations-afcon-2025-d2fec/llms.txt) appearances and the 2026 World Cup. Vozinha participated in the Africa Cup of Nations tournaments in 2013, 2015, 2021 and 2023. Vozinha was not included in the squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers held in Morocco, with the younger goalkeeper Bruno Varela selected instead. Cabo Verde finished last in their group and failed to qualify for the tournament. During this period, Vozinha considered retiring from the national team but decided to continue after encouragement from teammates and driven by the dream of participating in the World Cup. ### 2026 FIFA World Cup Cabo Verde qualified for the [2026 FIFA World Cup](/en/detay/2026-fifa-world-cup-bacac/llms.txt) for the first time in its history and became the third-smallest nation ever to participate in the tournament. Cabo Verde was drawn in Group H alongside Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia. #### Match Against Spain On 15 June 2026, Cabo Verde faced favourites Spain in their opening match at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, watched by 67,640 spectators. Spain dominated possession (approximately 76 percent), attempted 27 shots, and scored seven on target. Vozinha saved all seven shots to secure a 0–0 draw. He denied a shot from Ferran Torres, blocked a close-range attempt by Mikel Oyarzabal, organized his defensive line, and recorded 65 touches and 10 long passes during the match. He was named “Man of the Match.” At age 40, Vozinha became the second-oldest player ever to make his World Cup debut, following Egypt’s Essam El Hadary, who played at age 45 in 2018. He is also the oldest player ever to debut at a World Cup while representing a nation making its first-ever appearance in the tournament. Immediately after the final whistle, Vozinha knelt on the goal line, overcome with emotion. He embraced Stopira, a teammate who had retired from football the previous year but returned to the squad due to emotional ties to the team. In his post-match remarks, Vozinha revealed that both his grandmother and grandfather had passed away before the tournament and that his mother had been unable to attend the match on time due to visa processing delays and associated costs. Vozinha’s story caught the attention of Hakeem Jeffries, the Minority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives, who requested assistance from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to bring Vozinha’s mother to Miami for the next match. The request was granted, and Vozinha’s mother attended the match against Uruguay in Miami on 21 June 2026. She was also present in the stands for the match against Saudi Arabia on 26 June 2026. #### Match Against Argentina and Elimination from the Tournament Cabo Verde’s World Cup journey ended in the round of 32 with a 3–2 defeat in extra time against reigning champions Argentina. Vozinha saved four shots from [Lionel Messi](/en/detay/lionel-messi-92cff/llms.txt). After the match, Messi approached Vozinha and said, “**You are amazing; the people should be proud of you**”; the two players exchanged jerseys. Vozinha described this moment as one of the most unforgettable of his career. ### Social Media Impact and Fame Before the Spain match, Vozinha had approximately 50,000 followers on Instagram. After the Brazilian media outlet CazéTV encouraged its viewers to follow Vozinha during the match, his follower count surged to millions within hours. By later stages of the tournament, his following exceeded 17 million, with some sources reporting figures between 20 and 25 million. This surge propelled him to become the most-followed goalkeeper on Instagram, surpassing legends such as Iker Casillas and Manuel Neuer. During the same period, he joined the ranks of Africa’s most-followed footballers alongside Mohamed Salah, Achraf Hakimi and Sadio Mané. After the tournament, marketing experts assessed Vozinha as a major commercial prospect for sponsorship deals. He began posting sponsored content on his social media accounts. Sports agent Leigh Steinberg ranked Vozinha’s rise among the most remarkable breakthrough stories in international sports history. The Bavarian Football Works media outlet named him the best goalkeeper of the tournament following the round of 32. ### Playing Style Standing 1.89 metres tall, Vozinha possesses the classic physical profile of a goalkeeper. His playing style relies not only on athleticism but also on years of developed skills in positioning, anticipation, leadership and risk management. In the system implemented by Cabo Verde’s head coach Bubista, which emphasizes a deep defensive block when out of possession, the goalkeeper must constantly direct and organize the backline—a role Vozinha has fulfilled for many years. ### Personal Life Vozinha’s grandmother, Maria Senhorinha dos Santos, and his grandfather raised him during childhood but passed away before his World Cup performance. In his remarks after the Spain match on 15 June 2026, Vozinha dedicated his success to them. His mother, although unable to attend the first match due to visa delays, was granted permission by U.S. authorities to attend his subsequent matches from the stands. Jorge Valdano, the Argentine player originally intended to be Vozinha’s namesake, was made aware of the story through FIFA. Valdano stated that, forty years after the 1986 World Cup, he had indirectly returned to the tournament through Vozinha and sent his greetings to Vozinha, his father, and everyone involved in the story. ## Academic Sources and References 1. FIFA. "Vozinha's Special Connection to Argentina and Brazil." Accessed July 9, 2026. https://www.fifa.com/en/tournaments/mens/worldcup/canadamexicousa2026/articles/vozinha-cabo-verde-argentina-brazil-connection 2. Hooligan Soccer. "Who Is Vozinha? Cape Verde's Veteran Sensation." Accessed July 9, 2026. https://hooligan-soccer.com/vozinha-cape-verde-spain-world-cup/ 3. India Today. "Who Is Vozinha? Cape Verde's Hero Gains 3 Million Followers After Spain Masterclass in FIFA World Cup 2026." Accessed July 9, 2026. https://www.indiatoday.in/sports/football/story/vozinha-cape-verde-goalkeeper-draw-spain-fifa-world-cup-debut-2927343-2026-06-16 4. Nigeria Info FM. "From Unknown to World Cup Hero: How Vozinha Became Football's Surprise Star." Accessed July 9, 2026. https://www.nigeriainfo.fm/news/sport/from-unknown-to-world-cup-hero-how-vozinha-became-footballs-surprise-star/ 5. Olympics. "FIFA World Cup 2026: Who is Vozinha? Meet the 'Voice' of Cabo Verde's National Team." Accessed July 9, 2026. https://www.olympics.com/en/news/fifa-world-cup-2026-who-is-vozinha-voice-cape-verde 6. The Athletic. "Meet Vozinha, the 40-Year-Old Cape Verde Hero Who Almost Quit Before the World Cup." Accessed July 9, 2026. 7. Transfermarkt. "Vozinha: Perfil de Jogador." Accessed July 9, 2026. https://www.transfermarkt.pt/vozinha/profil/spieler/242277 8. USA Today. "Who Is the Cabo Verde Goalkeeper Who Went Viral? Meet Vozinha." Accessed July 9, 2026. https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/soccer/worldcup/2026/07/03/who-is-cape-verde-goalkeeper-vozinha-world-cup/90796189007/ 9. Yahoo Sports. "Who Is Cape Verde's Goalie? Meet Vozinha, Whose Journeying Club History Brought Him to World Cup." Accessed July 9, 2026. https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/cape-verdes-goalie-meet-vozinha-165353220.html