Cape Verde goalkeeper Vuzina, 40, has become an international sensation after his team’s 0-0 draw with Spain. Following the match, his follower count surged to 14.5 million, in one of the most dramatic viral spikes seen in recent years, not only in sports but across social media generally.
A check of his Instagram audience found that, by estimates, only 12.8% of his followers are bots, a figure considered low for Instagram and especially remarkable given the sudden increase. The conclusion drawn from that analysis is that the trend around him is real, and public interest in Vuzina is genuine.
The goalkeeper, who has finished his contract in Portugal’s second division, now has more followers than several major stars, including Jude Bellingham, Cole Palmer, Bukayo Saka, Rodri, Declan Rice, Harry Kane, Victor Wembanyama and Mondo Duplantis.