Man of the Match
* He was there for the country’s historic first qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations (AfCON) 2013, reaching the quarter-finals against all odds, and again for the same achievement in 2023 in Côte d’Ivoire
* With 91 caps to his name and having captained Cape Verde during the qualifiers, he is the second most-capped player in the Blue Sharks history
Maravi Express
Cape Verde managed to secure a heroic 0-0 draw against Spain, and it was largely thanks to Vozinha, the Blue Sharks’ goalkeeper, who made seven saves from Spain’s seven shots on target.
Vozinha, who is a legend at home because of his deep connection with the national team, single-handedly stopped Spain — the European champions and former FIFA World Cup winners.
An international since 2012, he has been part of all Cape Verde’s great adventures as well as its disappointments. He was there for the country’s historic first qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations (AfCON) 2013, reaching the quarter-finals against all odds, and again for the same achievement in 2023 in Côte d’Ivoire.
With 91 caps to his name and having captained Cape Verde during the qualifiers, he is the second most-capped player in Blue Sharks history, behind Ryan Mendes.
Cape Verde’s heroic draw against Spain was largely thanks to Vozinha, who made no fewer than seven saves from Spain’s seven shots on target. He faced 1.46 xGOT in a decisive shutout performance during what was the country’s first-ever World Cup match.
Advertisement
According to Flashscore player ratings he was the best player on the pitch, earning a score of 8.8 — a performance that will go down in history. At 40 years old, Vozinha, goalkeeper for Chaves in Portugal’s second division and valued at 40,000 euros by Flashscore, turned into Manuel Neuer on his line, stopping every attempt from the Spanish players.
With seven saves from seven shots on target by a rather uninspired La Roja attack, the keeper became the oldest player to make his World Cup debut and even finished the match in tears.
Beyond his outstanding performance and 1.46 xGOT prevented, he completed 10 long passes and touched the ball 65 times, showing just how important he is to Cape Verde’s play, despite the team having only 26% possession and managing six shots, just one of which was on target.
“We worked very hard, and we made this dream come true,” he told FIFA after the match. “The effort came from all the players. We are very happy. We knew it wouldn’t be easy [because] is one of the best teams in the world.
“We leave with this draw, and we have to be satisfied with it. Now, we have to keep working. I dreamed of this moment all my life, I worked all my life to be on these stages. Today, I was able to be here and help the team thanks to my experience. I am very happy and thank you to all Cape Verdeans,” he said.
Born on June 3, 1986, in Mindelo, on the island of Sao Vicente, Vozinha was given the name Josimar Dias in tribute to the Brazilian full-back who shone at the 1986 World Cup, the year he was born.
“My father wanted to name me Valdano, after the Argentine striker Jorge Valdano from Real Madrid. But the authorities didn’t allow it,” the goalkeeper recalled in an interview with ESPN Brasil.
Unlike many dual nationals in the squad who trained in Europe, he began his career on his native archipelago, notably with CS Mindelense, one of the country’s most historic clubs.
His talent quickly crossed the Atlantic, and he first moved to Angola to play for Progresso do Sambizanga before returning to Mindelense and then heading to Zimbru Chisinau in Moldova.
During his long and rich club career, Vozinha became a true football globetrotter. He played in Portugal (Gil Vicente) Slovakia (AS Trencin), but it was especially in Cyprus, with AEL Limassol, that he established himself as one of the league’s best goalkeepers, notably winning the Cyprus Cup in 2019.
Since 2024, he has been a key player for Chaves in Portugal’s second division and thanks to this historic performance against Spain, the Cape Verdean veteran’s name is now on everyone’s lips across football social media.
Especially on Instagram, where his followers jumped from 48,000 before the match to 1.5 million less than 30 minutes after the final whistle.
There is no doubt he will be highly anticipated for the next match against Uruguay, who drew 1-1 with Saudi Arabia in the other Group H match.
“Our best weapon is our unity. Regardless of the player who arrives today, or the player who is 10 or 15 years old, the way we treat our family is our greatest strength.
“Everyone thought that we came here just to enjoy the World Cup, but no, we know that we have teams that we will always respect, because this is our first time, but we are here to compete, and we are here to fight for our country.”
“I started playing professional football when I was 25 years old, in 2012. It was too late for a person like me. I thought about leaving the national team, but then I continued because of this dream.
“The performance is a performance for everyone. I am the man of the game, but this award is for all my colleagues, because without them, nothing is possible. And I will continue to work for the team and for the people.”
Cape Verde lies nearly 600km off the west coast of Africa, a beautiful but isolated archipelago where opportunities for young footballers are limited. Growing up in Mindelo, Vozinha faced challenges from the outset.
“I was one of the best keepers on my island, but I was small,” he recalled. “Even when I performed well, I wasn’t selected because of my height.”
Former Scotland winger Pat Nevin told 5 Live that the goalkeeper “lit up this game: “He has been absolutely brilliant. He’s done it at 40 years of age. Every single camera is on him, all his players are pointing to him. It is a beautiful moment.
“Cape Verde spent the vast majority of the game in their own 18-yard box — not all of it, and when they broke they were brave and they broke in numbers. To do that and to keep that level of concentration, you don’t do that if you’re a bunch of individuals, you only do that if you’re a team.”
Lee Dixon on ITV added: “It’s absolutely fantastic. A brilliant performance. They deserve that point more than anything and Spain almost don’t deserve a point. They walk off disappointed but the night is Cape Verde’s.
“What a performance from every single one of them, the centre halves, the full-backs, that man there [Vozinha] crying — I’m almost crying myself.”—Reporting by Flashscore News & BBC Sport; editing by Maravi Express
Group stage results
Group A
Mexico 2-0 South Africa
South Korea 2-1 Czechia
Group B
Canada 1-1 Bosnia and Herzegovina
Qatar 1-1 Switzerland
Group C
Brazil 1-1 Morocco
Haiti 0-1 Scotland
Group D
USA 4-1 Paraguay
Australia 2-0 Turkiye
Group E
Côte d’Ivoire 1-0 Ecuador
Germany 7-1 Curacao
Group F
Netherlands 2-2 Japan
Sweden 5-1 Tunisia
Group H
Spain 0-0 Cape Verde
Saudi Arabia 1-1 Uruguay
Group G
Belgium v Egypt
Iran 2-2 New Zealand
Advertisement