Spain arrived at the World Cup as one of the favourites, but their campaign has already hit an early setback.
A 0-0 draw with Cape Verde was not in the script, and the underdogs earned it through discipline, resistance and a defensive display that refused to break.
Centre-backs Diney Borges and Pico Lopes were excellent in front of goal, but the player who grabbed the headlines was the man behind them. Goalkeeper Vozinha left the pitch as Cape Verde’s new global face.
Vozinha becomes global fan favourite after Spain heroics
Vozinha, whose name is Josimar Jose, helped Cape Verde claim their first World Cup point ever in their first match at the tournament.
The 40-year-old goalkeeper was named man of the match against Spain, and his Instagram growth showed how quickly the wider football world noticed him.
He had around 50,000 followers before Spain vs Cape Verde. After the final whistle, that number had reached 1.6 million, a rise of roughly 3,100%.
One of Cape Verde’s biggest football names, with 90 caps for his country and a career that has stretched across Angola, Moldova, Cyprus, Slovakia and Portugal, he is currently without a club after leaving Portuguese side Chaves before the World Cup.
In that landscape, growing his image could be pivotal for the continuation of his career, and there is no better soccer tournament to achieve that than the World Cup.
The World Cup has just started, but it is already clear that Vozinha is going to be one of its main stories until the end of Cape Verde’s participation.
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