Cape Verde Stuns Spain as 40-Year-Old Keeper Becomes a Global Sensation

Cape Verde shocked world football on Monday by holding Spain, the European champion and one of the World Cup favorites, to a 0-0 draw in its tournament debut. Beyond the historic point, the match belonged to 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha, who starred on the field and then became a viral figure online.

Spain dominated the first half with 13 attempts on goal, but Vozinha produced a string of outstanding saves, including four stops from what looked like certain goals. His performance energized his teammates, thrilled the crowd in Atlanta, and helped Cape Verde resist a heavy Spanish assault.

The social-media frenzy began during Brazil’s Caze TV broadcast, when commentators urged viewers to follow the keeper’s nearly empty Instagram account and push it to 100,000. Fans did far more than that: he jumped to 220,000 followers in under a minute, reached 350,000 after an hour, rose to 389,000 at the final whistle, and then added another 500,000 within five minutes. By the time he reached the locker room, his phone showed that he had passed 1 million followers.

Vozinha, whose real name is Josimar Jose Évora Dias, plays club football for Shabe in Portugal’s second division. His father named him Josimar after Brazil’s famous right back from the 1986 World Cup, while the nickname Vozinha, meaning “the voice” in Portuguese, came from his grandparents and stuck when he began playing on São Vicente Island. He later refused to wear “Josimar II” in Angola and insisted on Vozinha on his shirt. The veteran, who turned 40 earlier this month, has 89 caps since his 2012 debut, has played in four Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, and is now the face of Cape Verde’s biggest football moment.