Cape Verde Goalkeeper Vozinha Cries After Historic World Cup Draw Against Spain

Atlanta. As the final whistle blew at Atlanta Stadium, cameras turned to Cape Verde's goalkeeper Vozinha. Tears streamed from the eyes of this 40-year-old player as he realized the great achievement his team had just secured after a goalless draw with World Cup favorites Spain.

Joy erupted in the stadium. Thousands of Cape Verdean supporters, who had cheered their team on for 90 minutes, celebrated together, hugging each other, dancing, and enjoying the result. Players on the field ran towards each other in jubilation. Even neutral spectators were moved by the moment. By the end of the game, many were celebrating together.

Against the European champions Spain, this experienced goalkeeper Vozinha delivered the performance of his life, saving his team from conceding goals and securing the most memorable result in his country's history.

After receiving the 'Man of the Match' award, Vozinha said, 'I cried because I grew up with my grandparents. Unfortunately, they are not here. They passed away a few years ago. They were everything to me, my whole life.'

'I also cried because of my mother. She couldn't come here due to visa issues. We couldn't arrange the money for the visa in time. I wish she were here.'

He added, 'Our greatest weapon is our unity. Whether it's the players playing today or those from 10-15 years ago, the way we treat our family is our greatest strength.'

'Everyone thought we were just here to enjoy the World Cup, but that's not the case. Since this is our first time, we know there are teams here that we must always respect. But we are here to compete, we are here to fight for our country.'

• 'This was my childhood dream'

For Vozinha, this moment was the culmination of a lifelong wait.

Born Josimar Dias, this Cape Verdean goalkeeper spent his entire career pursuing the dream of playing in the World Cup.

When this dream finally came true, it also made history. At 40 years and 12 days old, he became the oldest player to debut in a World Cup match for any nation. He broke the record previously held by Curacao's Eloy Rumle.

In fact, only Egypt's Essam El-Hadary was older than him on his World Cup debut. This is a remarkable milestone in his career, filled with continuous perseverance.

Vozinha said, 'I started playing professional football in 2012 at the age of 25. That was quite late for someone like me.'

'I had thought about leaving the national team, but it was this dream that kept me going.'

'This performance is for everyone. I am the Man of the Match, but this award is for all my colleagues, because nothing is possible without them. And I will continue to work for the team and the people.'

Cape Verde, a beautiful but isolated island nation located about 600 kilometers off the west coast of Africa, has limited opportunities for young footballers. Vozinha, who grew up in Mindelo, faced challenges from the beginning.

He recalled, 'I was one of the best goalkeepers on my island, but I was short. Even when I performed well, I wasn't selected because of my height.'

Like many players before him, he eventually moved to Portugal, the former colonial power, in search of opportunities. That decision was the beginning of a career that took him to Slovakia, Angola, Moldova, and Cyprus. Vozinha currently plays for Chaves, a second-division club in Portugal.

Vozinha's name also carries a piece of football history. His father wanted to name him 'Valdano' after the great Argentine and Real Madrid player Jorge Valdano, but Cape Verdean officials rejected it. Instead, his name was changed to Josimar, after a Brazilian defender who gained prominence in the 1986 World Cup.

Decades later, on another World Cup stage, Vozinha has created his own history.

• 'Vozinha brought sparkle to this game'

Amidst the cheers of thousands of Cape Verdean supporters, he stood firm against Spain's relentless attacks, making seven crucial saves. Only Pat Jennings, at over 40 years old, has made more saves in a single World Cup match. He made 10 saves against Brazil for Northern Ireland on his 41st birthday in 1986.

Spectators at the Atlanta stadium greeted each of his saves as if Cape Verde had scored a goal.

He was also going viral off the field. After a YouTube channel in Brazil, KazTV, which holds the World Cup broadcasting rights, urged its viewers to follow him, his Instagram followers surged from 50,000 to over 1.5 million.

When later informed about this, he said, 'This is madness.'

Former Scotland winger Pat Nevin said the goalkeeper brought sparkle to the game.

'He was absolutely brilliant,' Nevin told Five Live. 'He's done it at 40 years of age. Every camera is focused on him, all his players are showing him. It's a beautiful moment.'

'Cape Verde spent most of the game in their own 18-yard box. But not the whole time, and when they went on the counter-attack, they went forward bravely and in numbers.'

'To do that and maintain that level of concentration, you can't do it if you're just a group of individuals, you can only do it if you're a team.'

Speaking on ITV, Lee Dixon added, 'It's absolutely outstanding. A magnificent performance. They deserve that point more than anything else, and Spain shouldn't have got almost a point. Spain's players are going off disappointed, but this night belongs to Cape Verde.'

'What a performance from every single one of them, the centre-halves, the full-backs, and that man (Vozinha) crying. I'm almost crying myself.'

This was an extremely significant result for the nation, which is the third smallest country ever to qualify for the World Cup, with a population of only about 500,000.

Their supporters in the stands showed the same level of enthusiasm. Wearing blue and waving red, white, and blue flags, they sang and danced throughout the game. They cheered their team on through every difficult moment. By the end of the game, they had won the hearts of neutral spectators. The story of Cape Verde had become everyone's story.

A small island nation had captured the attention of the entire football world.

BBC