Meet Vozinha, The Cape Verde Goalkeeper Who Shut Out Spain

The name of the Cape Verde goalkeeper who shut out Spain is only one word, and it isn't "Him," although that might be more appropriate following his performance on Monday. 

Vozinha, whose real name is Josimar José Évora Dias, recorded seven saves in Cape Verde's stunning 0-0 draw against Spain in Monday's Group H opener. The 40-year-old had a string of leaping and diving saves late in the first half before making a few big stops late in the second half. As a result, Vozinha won man of the match. 

So, who is Vozinha, the star who gave Cape Verde a point in its World Cup debut? Here's what to know about the Cape Verdean goalkeeper.

While Vozinha isn't his real name, the Cape Verdean goalkeeper said he got the name at a young age thanks to his grandparents. In an interview with FIFA, Vozinha said that his grandparents opted to call him Vozinha as he was raised by them and not his parents. Vozinha said that his father was serving in the military and his mother had to work.

However, the name Vozinha wound up sticking for a different reason. When he moved to Angola to play for Progresso, Vozinha had a decision to make with his name. 

"When I arrived in Angola, there was another goalkeeper named Josimar and I said I am not going to put Josimar II on the shirt — if everyone knew me as Vozinha in Cape Verde, that’s what I would be," Vozinha told FIFA.

Vozinha was emotional when the final whistle blew in Monday's match, appearing to hold back tears as he was embraced by his teammates. 

In a post-match interview with FOX Sports' Alex Aljoe, Vozinha explained why he was emotional following the match. 

"I worked for all my life for this, for this moment, for this dream. A lot of generations in the past was dreaming with this. They did not shift," Vozinha said. "Now, the dream come true. All of us are here because we worked a lot to be here. We deserved to be here today. A great game against Spain because it's one of the best national teams in the world."

In terms of FIFA rankings, Cape Verde's draw was the fourth-most surprising result in the history of the World Cup. Cape Verde entered the tournament ranked 67th and Spain entered the tournament ranked second.

As for Vozinha, he became the third-oldest goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet in a men's World Cup match, after Peter Shilton (40 years, 281 days) and Dino Zoff (40 years, 130 days), per FOX Sports Research. Vozinha is the oldest goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet in his World Cup debut and just the second goalkeeper aged 40 or older to make at least seven saves in a World Cup match since 1966, per OPTA.

Vozinha has already seen his social media following grow in a major way in the hours following Monday's match. His followers on Instagram have gone from 50,000 to 2.2 million as of 4:30 p.m. ET on Monday.

Vozinha had 90 international caps for Cape Verde prior to Monday's match, beginning his senior international career in 2012. He recorded nine clean sheets for Cape Verde over the previous year before blanking Spain. He logged three clean sheets in five matches for Cape Verde in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. 

Vozinha currently plays for Chaves in Liga Portugal 2, Portugal's second division of soccer. He's spent the bulk of his club career with Progresso (2012-15) and AEL Limassol (2017-22), though. Vozinha logged 116 caps during his time with AEL Limassol, a club in the Cypriot First Division.