When Cape Verde’s goalkeeper Vozinha checked his phone after what was arguably the game of his life, he could hardly believe his eyes.
While the custodian frustrated European champions Spain to a 0-0 draw in the Africans’ World Cup debut, his Instagram follower count skyrocketed.
Just half an hour after the final whistle, Vozinha surpassed the 1.5 million mark for followers on the social network. Nearly three hours later, he had amassed 2.6 million fans, with the number continuing to climb.
The Brazilian channel Caze TV had encouraged its viewers to follow the keeper during the halftime break. Their initial target of 100,000 followers was achieved in just one minute.
“This is crazy,” Vozinha, who stated he had just under 50,000 followers before the match, told *Caze TV*. “Thank you very much. Brazilians have always been very welcoming to us.”
Coach’s Praise: «I Can Only Be Grateful»
Throughout the second half, the numbers continued to surge. After the final whistle, which sealed the sensational draw and earned the World Cup debutants their first point, the growth didn’t stop. Vozinha, whose contract with GD Chaves in the second Portuguese league expires at the end of the month, now has more than four times the number of followers than his country has inhabitants.
Vozinha also received special praise from his coach. «I can only be grateful. He has been with us for a long time, he is very experienced. I don’t like to talk about individual players, but I believe he played well,» said Pedro Leitao Brito, who described the goalkeeper as «the best player on the field.»
Vozinha Follows in the Footsteps of New Zealand’s Tim Payne
Vozinha is already the second ‘unknown’ player at the World Cup to achieve fame through a social media campaign. Previously, Tim Payne had also become an internet star after an Argentinian influencer identified him as the most unknown player of the tournament. Payne now has 5.7 million followers on Instagram.
Besides gaining immense popularity and an unthinkable World Cup point, the evening also marked a place in the tournament’s history for Vozinha. At 40 years old, he is the oldest goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet on his World Cup debut.
40 — Cabo Verde’s 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha is the oldest goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet on his FIFA World Cup debut, making seven saves against Spain.
Heroic. pic.twitter.com/Y5yFXfrKYt
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 15, 2026