Vozinha
Goalkeeper · Colo-Colo · Cape Verde
About Vozinha
Vozinha became one of the 2026 World Cup's defining stories at 40 years old — a journeyman goalkeeper, raised by his grandparents in Cape Verde, who kept a stunning clean sheet against eventual champions Spain and nearly inspired the greatest upset in the tournament's history against Argentina. Nicknamed "little granny" in their honour, he had already spent two decades as Cape Verde's first-choice goalkeeper across clubs in five countries before the whole football world learned his name. Weeks later, he began a new adventure with Chilean giants Colo-Colo.
Vozinha's story
A Journeyman's Two Decades
Born Josimar José Évora Dias in Mindelo and raised by his grandparents, he played centre-back until he was 11 — then taught himself goalkeeping from YouTube training videos, Cape Verde having no specialist coaches. His first professional contract came at 26, in Angola; the road then ran through Moldova, Portugal, Cyprus, Slovakia and back to Portugal with Chaves. His 90-plus caps are Cape Verde's second-most.
A Decade of AFCON Near Misses
Four Africa Cups of Nations, three hard-luck stories: caught upfield chasing a stoppage-time corner as debutants Cape Verde lost their 2013 quarter-final to Ghana; sent off against eventual champions Senegal in 2021; then a 120-minute shutout of South Africa in the 2023 quarter-final, undone when Ronwen Williams saved four penalties in the shootout.
Qualifying for the First Time
Cape Verde clinched their first World Cup place in October 2025 — and their No. 1 seized it: a Player of the Match shutout of Spain, another clean sheet against Saudi Arabia, then Argentina taken deep into extra time before a 3-2 defeat. Spain went on to lift the trophy; 15 of his 18 saves came against the two finalists, and Cape Verde never lost inside 90 minutes.
Off the Pitch
He has never touched alcohol — the legacy of watching his grandfather struggle with it — and his grandmother once pawned her jewellery so he'd want for nothing; he calls them "the foundation" of his career. His brothers: Delmiro, a professional in Cyprus, and Kleidir, a maths teacher in Brazil. After the Spain game, an audience of millions found @vozinha1 overnight.
A New Chapter in Chile
The reward two decades of graft never brought: Colo-Colo, Chile's most successful club, signed him once the World Cup ended. At 40, his first season of South American football awaits at the Estadio Monumental — a long way from the streets of Mindelo.
Did you know?
- 👵 "Vozinha" is Portuguese for "little granny" — a childhood nickname from the grandparents who raised him, which stuck as his football name after another Angola-based goalkeeper already used his birth name, Josimar.
- 🧤 The record he broke against Spain had stood for exactly one day: Curaçao's Eloy Room had claimed it just 24 hours earlier. He also sits ninth on the all-time list of oldest World Cup finals appearances — a fact that undersells just how rare a starting debut at that age is.
- 👨👩👦 Raised by his grandparents while his father served in the military and his mother worked, he was almost named after a football legend entirely: his father wanted Valdano, after Argentina's Jorge Valdano — when the registry refused, the family settled on Josimar, after Brazil's 1986 World Cup right-back.
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