Cabo Verde’s Vozinha Gains Millions Of Followers After Heroics Against Spain

Cabo Verde’s Vozinha has become the latest social media darling following his impressive showing in his team’s World Cup game against European giants Spain. 

The 40-year-old pulled off a performance of a lifetime as the Blue Sharks frustrated a toothless Spanish side in a Group H match on Monday. Vozinha made seven saves in the goalless draw, earning him rave reviews and an explosion of followers on social media.

Before the match, his Instagram following was 45,000. But as of the time of this report, he has eclipsed the eight million mark with his feed flooded with praise from fans and admirers.

“This is crazy, this is crazy,” Vozinha told reporters when asked about the surge.

“Very proud. For me it is an honour for me to represent my country,” Vozinha told reporters. “We are from a small country. Our qualification was very difficult in a group with Cameroon and Libya, but we knew if we followed the plan of the coach, we had a great chance to qualify.

“The dream came true. We competed against Spain, one of the best teams in the world. We are very happy and proud of all the players and people of Cape Verde.”

Beyond the social media fame, the moment also came with a personal disappointment for the goalkeeper who plays for Chaves in the Portuguese second division: the absence of his biggest supporters, his family, to celebrate with him on the sidelines. 

Cabo Verde was one of the countries affected by stricter US visa restrictions introduced earlier this year, which made it difficult for some family members to attend the game. 

“I cried because I grew up with my grandparents and unfortunately they were not here, they died a few years before, and they did everything for me and my life,” he added.

“Also my mum, she didn’t manage to be here because of the visa. The money for the visa, we didn’t manage (to do) on time, and I would like her to be here.

“But I am very happy and also happy for all the Cape Verdean people.”

His coach, Pedro Leitão Brito, better known as Bubista, hailed the veteran player for his performance against Spain, which earned him his 89th cap.

“He was overcome with emotion. He has a lot of experience and has given so much to get to this stage. They were tears of resilience,” said Bubista. “He has spent many years with us. I normally do not like to comment on individuals, but he had a great performance.”

Cabo Verde turn their attention to Uruguay on June 21, with Vozinha set to carry both his team’s momentum – and his newly acquired global fame— into their next World Cup fixture.

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