Cabo Verde Star Gains 4M Followers After Stunning Performance Against Spain

Veteran goalkeeper Vozinha kept Lamine Yamal at bay in his first-ever World Cup appearance. Now, the 40-year-old has gained a huge new following online.

Fans online have flocked to 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha after the veteran stopper put in a headline-grabbing performance against Spain on Monday.

Cabo Verde made their World Cup debut this summer, appearing in soccer’s biggest event for the first time ever. The team's first fixture was a meeting with European champions Spain, and Vozinha starred in a 0-0 draw, a huge shock to the tournament favorites.

At halftime, a Brazilian YouTube channel called on its audience to follow Vozinha on Instagram, trying to get the 40-year-old to 100,000 followers. At the time, he was on around 50,000.

The audience acted swiftly, and within minutes, he was at 200,000 followers. Within one hour of the game ending, he had soared to 2 million followers, and he stood at 4 million by Monday evening.

Vozinha (40 years, 8 days) is one of seven players aged 40 or older at this summer’s tournament. As of Monday, June 15, he is the second-oldest player to appear at the 2026 World Cup, behind Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer (40 years, 76 days).

However, that distinction will not last, as other players like Cristiano Ronaldo (41 years, 126 days) and Luka Modric (40 years, 275 days) will soon play for their respective nations.

For now, Vozinha has had the biggest impact at the World Cup and has written his name into tournament history with the opening game clean sheet against Spain. Cabo Verde will now aim to get one win from their remaining games to progress to the knockout rounds.

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