Cape Verde sensation Vozinha dreamed about playing against Lionel Messi, and now it’s come true with the 2026 World Cup’s Round of 32.
Cape Verde is the smallest nation at the 2026 World Cup and has already won the hearts of everyone. A 0-0 draw against reigning European champions Spain in the Group Stage catapulted goalkeeper Vozinha to international fame.
His performances helped his nation reach the Round of 32, where he’ll live out his dream of protecting the goal against Lionel Messi.
Vozinha will live out his World Cup dream against Lionel Messi’s Argentina
In a recent interview, Vozinha openly talks about how it’s his dream to play against Messi. From the tone of the interview, it seems to have been recorded before the matchup between the nations was confirmed for the next round.
“I hope one day to play against Messi, because for me he is an exceptional player, and I believe there are many people who share this admiration with me.”
The 40-year-old Vozinha kept two clean sheets in the group stage against Spain and Saudi Arabia, with two conceded goals against Uruguay. He’s made 11 saves in the group stage, with seven coming in a masterclass against Spain.
He’s one of three goalkeepers in World Cup history to keep two clean sheets after the age of 40, joining Peter Shilton and Dino Zoff.
Vozinha will hope to produce another masterclass to stop Messi, who’s the Golden Boot leader with five goals, scoring every single Argentina goal so far this tournament.
Vozinha surpasses every active NFL, MLB, and NHL player in IG followers
Since his breakout performance in the Group H opener, Vozinha has become one of the most popular athletes in the world.
As of June 27, he has 17 million followers, a mark that some of the best active American athletes can’t hit. In fact, he now has more followers than any active NFL, MLB, or NHL player.
Given the popularity of the NFL’s Travis Kelce and MLB’s Shohei Ohtani, Vozinha’s fame highlights how much bigger the global audience for football can be.
The NBA is an American league but an international sport, so Vozinha still has fewer than half the followers of a LeBron James or Stephen Curry.
However, a clean sheet in an upset win over Argentina in the Round of 32 might catapult Vozinha into superstardom, especially if it leads to Messi’s exit.
Read more:
