Before the opening Group H match kicked off in Atlanta, the 40-year-old veteran was virtually unknown to the global audience, carrying a following of roughly 50,000 on Instagram but it has now skyrocketed to over 7 million
Published: June 16, 2026, 6:43 PM IST
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Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha during the pre FIFA World Cup 2026 photoshoot. (Credits: Instagram)
Imagine putting up such a performance in a football game that it skyrockets your following on social media from 50,000 to over 5 million in less than 24 hours. That is exactly what just happened to Vozinha, the 40-year-old goalkeeper of the 3rd smallest nation by population to ever qualify for a FIFA World Cup – Cape Verde.
Vozinha has become an overnight sensation after he threw his body and did everything possible to stop Spain from spoiling his nation’s FIFA World Cup debut. Cape Verde held the 2010 champions in a goalless draw to extract an important point in Group H which also consists of Uruguay and Saudi Arabia.
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While it was a proud moment for Cape Verde and their supporters, the result left Spain shell shocked with their fans in utter disappointment and anger. La Roja dominated in every possible department but all they couldn’t do was score a goal. They had 62% of possession as well as 8 shots on target with 7 of those saved by Vozinha.
The moment that really stood out was when the veteran shot-stopper made a brilliant reflex save to deny Ferran Torres from scoring the potential first goal and the crucial intervention to tip an Aymeric Laporte’s header over the crossbar.
He received a rating of 9.7 and was also adjudged player of the match for his performance but the hot topic is the rising numbers of his Instagram followers.
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Before the opening Group H match kicked off in Atlanta, the 40-year-old veteran was virtually unknown to the global audience, carrying a following of roughly 50,000 on Instagram. However, after making seven crucial saves to frustrate the European champions, his profile went viral.
Fueled by social media clips from the match, his account exploded. Within 24 hours of the final whistle, Vozinha’s following skyrocketed past 5.8 million, gaining more fans in a single day than the entire population of Cape Verde.
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