Cape Verde World Cup hero Vozinha has 28m followers, new club and Ballon d’Or nomination but now wants his old life back

Six months ago, Vozinha was a goalkeeper playing in Portugal's second tier, living quietly in the small city of Chaves with little attention beyond Cape Verde. Then came seven saves against Spain at the World Cup, a million Instagram followers in a day and a level of fame he never expected. Now, with more than 28 million followers, he says he would choose his old life back.Seven saves against Spain changed Vozinha's lifeFor anyone who follows football, Vozinha is now one of the recognisable faces of Cape Verde's remarkable World Cup story. Before the tournament, however, the 40-year-old goalkeeper was largely unknown outside his country and the Portuguese football circuit, where his professional life was centred on the small city of Chaves and the second tier.His real name is Josimar Jose Evora Dias, but it was the name Vozinha that suddenly became familiar around the world after Cape Verde's opening group match against Spain.The goalkeeper produced seven saves and kept a clean sheet against the side that would eventually become world champions, turning what had been an ordinary international fixture into the performance that transformed his life. Before kick-off, his Instagram account had around 56,000 followers. Within 24 hours, that number had passed one million.The explosion began with CazéTV, the Brazilian broadcaster that held rights to the tournament, encouraging its audience to follow Vozinha during the historic goalless draw.He did not initially understand what was happening.“A member of the team’s catering staff came up to me and told me I had a billion followers,” Vozinha told The Observer. “I had no idea what he was talking about; I thought he was joking, but he insisted. Later, I went to do some interviews in the mixed zone and a CazéTV journalist asked me if I knew what was happening.”The journalist showed him her phone, and that was when Vozinha saw that more than one million people were suddenly following his account.“She showed me her phone and that was when I saw that I had more than a million followers. I decided to turn off my Instagram notifications so I wouldn’t be tempted to keep checking who was following me.”The number did not stop there. Vozinha now has more than 28 million Instagram followers, putting him ahead of prominent American sports figures including Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady.The attention became so overwhelming that Vozinha, together with the Cape Verdean Football Federation, brought back his former manager to help deal with the sudden noise surrounding him and the team. Someone close to the dressing room told The Observer: “It wasn’t easy to get back to normal.”Even with his notifications switched off, friends continued telling him which famous people had started following him, while companies and brands began approaching him with commercial opportunities.“I know that during the World Cup there were lots of companies and brands that wanted to work with me,” Vozinha said, “but while we were competing I only did one promotional collaboration, with UFL Mobile. I don’t know what offers might come in the future, but for now I don’t want to work with any tobacco, alcohol or betting brands.”The fame followed him away from the football pitchThe World Cup gave Vozinha a new professional profile, but it also changed the most ordinary parts of his life.Speaking to The Observer, he explained that going out for dinner or simply being in public now comes with a level of attention he never experienced before.“I’ve lost my peace and tranquillity,” he said. “I no longer have any privacy, or at least much less than I used to. Now I go out, I go to a restaurant, and there’s always someone who wants to take a photo with me or asks me for an autograph. Or, worse, someone is filming me.“That’s what has changed most in my life, and I don’t think there’s anything I can do about it.”The attention has also reached his family in Cape Verde.His mother, who Vozinha describes as someone who finds it difficult to say no to people, now has supporters arriving at her home almost every day asking for photographs or wanting to speak with her. His father, who is more reserved, has learned to keep his distance.“I’m not there, so I can’t help them,” Vozinha said. “They have to learn to live with the situation and set boundaries.”That loss of privacy has made the goalkeeper unusually candid about the less attractive side of becoming famous, particularly because fame was never something he appears to have been seeking.“A lot of people want to be famous and have a public profile, but they only see the positive side of that reality,” Vozinha said. “To be honest, if I were offered the life I have today or the life I had before, I’d choose the one I had before.”For all the attention surrounding him, Vozinha has also been careful not to turn Cape Verde's World Cup into an individual achievement.The country went unbeaten in Group H, reached the knockout stage and produced one of the tournament's most unexpected stories. Vozinha was the standout performer, keeping two clean sheets and making 18 saves across the tournament before Cape Verde eventually lost 3-2 to Argentina after a late own goal from Diney Borges.“It’s nice to feel like a kind of ambassador, but I want to make it clear that what we achieved was a collective effort,” Vozinha said.“We made history and the best news would be if we could harness that momentum to develop our country and improve the living conditions of our people.”His World Cup turned into a new careerThe attention around Vozinha did not disappear when Cape Verde's tournament ended.His performances helped earn him a move to Colo-Colo, the biggest and most successful football club in Chile, after the club showed the strongest interest in signing him.“They were the club that showed the most interest,” Vozinha said. “I didn’t receive any offers from the United States and there was some contact with Saudi Arabia, but nothing concrete. Hopefully I can play in the Copa Libertadores soon.”His international career also continued, despite the fact that he had initially planned to retire after the World Cup.Instead, the 40-year-old decided he still wanted to play and was preparing in Lisbon for the start of Cape Verde's 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign.“I still feel good,” he said.There was another unexpected development waiting for him, too. With a month remaining before the Ballon d'Or ceremony, Vozinha was named among the 10 nominees for the world's best goalkeeper.“I never imagined it could happen,” he said. “It was unthinkable, but I’m grateful to those who thought of me. Just being on that list is already a great honour.”His new career has therefore brought opportunities that would have been difficult to imagine before the World Cup, from a move to Colo-Colo and the possibility of playing in the Copa Libertadores to becoming one of the most recognisable players from Cape Verde's historic campaign.But the attention has come with a price that cannot be measured in followers, contracts or endorsements.Stay updated with the latest Asian Games 2026 news, check the Asian Games medal tally and complete Asian Games schedule.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.