Cape Verde Goalkeeper’s Instagram Skyrockets After Spain Match

Cape Verde goalkeeper Josimar “Vozinha” Dias became a global sensation after his performance against Spain, with his Instagram following jumping to 4.5 million by Tuesday morning from just 50,000 before the match, about seven hours after it ended.

In an interview after the game, Dias said, “I worked all my life to experience this moment.” He added that “many generations dreamed of something like this and failed to achieve it,” saying Cape Verde reached the tournament because it “fought with all its strength” and “deserve to be in this World Cup.”

Dias also revealed how emotional the night was for him. “After the game I cried,” he said. “I grew up with my grandparents, and they are no longer here to see this. They gave everything for me.”

He said his mother could not attend because of a visa problem, and the family could not raise the money in time to complete the process. “I would have loved for her to be here with me,” Dias said, adding that he was “so happy for all the people of Cape Verde.”