A legend
Vozinha is already a legend. It's just that most of the world outside Cabo Verde doesn't know that. But now they know. There are no overly compliments for any player who has created the most incredible result at the 2026 World Cup to date.
The hero of the 0-0 draw against Spain is Josimar Jose Evora Dias, often known as Vozinha, the vice-captain and veteran goalkeeper of the team. He just turned 40 weeks before the tournament started, meaning he became the second oldest player to debut at a World Cup, and the oldest person to appear in a team participating in the tournament for the first time.
He is the best player of the match with 7 saves. But perhaps equally important is stability and calmness, qualities that are a bit difficult to define that create a leader. If there is a moment when teammates panic, it is Vozinha who helps them regain confidence.
When the final whistle sounded, he burst into tears. His eyes blurred with tears when Stopira hugged him tightly. Stopira is another "veteran" of Cabo Verde football, who retired last year but was persuaded to return thanks to his great mental influence on the whole team.
There have been many articles about this Cabo Verde team, and their success has the contribution of many people. But the photo of the two men hugging each other - along with captain Ryan Mendes who are the pillars in the team's journey over the past decade - will be the most memorable image of this moment.
Story from family
The family not only shaped his life from a young age, but they also continued to be associated with him through his name. His birth name was given by his father in tribute to Josimar, a Brazilian right-back who became a little-known star at the 1986 World Cup. The initial plan was to name the boy Valdano, after the former Real Madrid striker Jorge Valdano, but when registering, it was not accepted. So he took the name Josimar.
And his nickname originated from the people he lived with for most of his childhood: his grandparents. In Creole, "Vozinha" means "Grandma".
In the area I live in, other children are much older, and I always play with them on the street, being kicked a lot," he recounted in 2024. "That's because I am very skillful, and also competitive and stubborn, I don't like losing. I get hit a lot and every time I can't respond, I sulk and go home with a sullen face, and they mock me for telling grandparents.
Career path
When Vozinha was young, trying to embark on the path of football on Cape Verde's Sao Vicente island, he was often overlooked by coaches because he was too small. But after a period of height development in late adolescence, he began to have more opportunities.
Over 20 years old to play professionally, he left home to play for Progresso of Angola. Since then, he has played in Cyprus, Slovakia, Moldova and Portugal, where he is currently playing for Second Division club Chaves.
He debuted for the National Team in 2012. The only person with more caps than him is Mendes, and both are also the only players to have participated in all major tournaments they have ever passed the qualifiers for: 4 African Cups (AFCON), and now the World Cup.
Vozinha, along with Stopira and Mendes, are the spiritual hearts of this Cabo Verde team, but he was almost no longer here to help the team create magic.
In fact, he was once eliminated from the national team in the most recent AFCON qualifying campaign, instead they chose a younger goalkeeper, Bruno Varela. Perhaps it was no coincidence that they were at the bottom of the group and could not come to the tournament in Morocco at the end of 2025. That almost made Vozinha decide to leave, but his teammates persuaded him to stay for the World Cup dream.
The result against Spain, one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history, is a timely reminder that the participation of small countries in the tournament does not mean that all their matches are just for fun. If it were another day, perhaps Spain would have taken advantage of one of their many opportunities, but partly thanks to Vozinha's brilliance, they have proven that small teams can still compete fairly.
Vozinha will now face what many people experience when they become famous - attention. Or at least one form of it, when the number of followers on Instagram from about 50,000 has surpassed several million.
But at this time, he and his teammates just want to enjoy their glory. "I want to tell Vozinha at 18 years old that, be really proud of yourself. He has worked a lot. After this match, I can tell my younger version that everyone deserves it," he said.
