Vozinha, 40, breaks World Cup debut record then cries after stunning Spain to a draw

Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha, 40, made World Cup history on his nation’s debut by keeping European champions Spain scoreless in a 0-0 draw, producing seven saves in a performance that left him in tears and sent his Instagram following past 5.8 million within hours.

Born Josimar Jose Evora Dias in Mindelo on the island of Sao Vicente, Vozinha takes his nickname — translating loosely as ‘little voice’ or ‘little grandmother’ — from everyday Cape Verdean slang. He was named after Brazilian defender Josimar, a star of the 1986 World Cup, having been born during that tournament.

At exactly 40 years and 12 days old, Vozinha shattered the record for the oldest player to appear in a country’s first-ever World Cup match — a mark set just two days earlier by Curacao’s 37-year-old goalkeeper Eloy Room at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Against Spain, Vozinha’s sharp reflexes and composed positioning repeatedly denied a side packed with world-class attackers. His seven saves frustrated the European champions throughout, and Cape Verde’s clean sheet stands as one of the tournament’s early upsets.

“I have worked my whole life for this moment,” Vozinha said in emotional post-match comments. “I thought about leaving but I continued because of this dream.”

Former Cape Verde international Georges Santos echoed the widespread admiration. “Vozinha is man of the match for me, some great saves — we got lucky sometimes but yesterday was tremendous,” Santos told the BBC. “He brought his experience, his calmness.”

Vozinha’s professional career has taken him across six countries since he began with Batuque FC and CS Mindelense in Cape Verde in 2007. He has since played in Angola, Moldova, Portugal, Cyprus, and Slovakia, and is currently registered with GD Chaves in Portugal.

His motivation, he has said, was always rooted in the island he grew up on. Watching fellow Cape Verdeans leave to build careers in Europe, he channelled that into a singular ambition: to put his nation on the global footballing map. The 0-0 draw with Spain suggests he has done exactly that.

The social media response was immediate and overwhelming. A campaign organised by Brazilian YouTuber CazeTV helped Vozinha surpass 1.5 million Instagram followers within hours of the final whistle, a figure that has since climbed to 5.8 million as fans around the world rallied behind his story.