VOZINHA PROFILE
| AGE | 40 YEARS |
| GENDER | MALE |
| OCCUPATION | FOOTBALLER |
Cape Verde goalkeeper Joosimar Dias, widely known by his nickname Vozinha, was in tears after the 0-0 draw against the 2010 champions and World Cup favourites, Spain.
On his World Cup debut, which also marked Cape Verde’s first-ever appearance at the tournament, the 40-year-old led his side against Spain, delivering a performance of a lifetime with a historic clean sheet that earned him the man of the match award.
Upon receiving the award, Vozinha said that his tears were for his grandparents, who were not present.
“I cried because I grew up with my grandparents; they were not here. They died a few years ago. They were everything for me, everything for my life,” the Cape Verde goalkeeper said after receiving the man of the match award.
He also mentioned his mum, who could not attend due to visa issues but would have loved to.
“And also, because of my mum. She couldn’t be here because of the visa. Because of the cost of the visa, we didn’t manage it on time. I would have liked her to be here,” he added.
Vozinha made 7 crucial saves to earn his side a draw in a game that fans across the world had predicted they would lose, and gained over 5 million followers on Instagram, from the initial 50,000 before this match to 5.7 million.
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Vozinha Football Career
Vozinha started playing professional football in 2012 at 25, which he thought was too old, and he even considered quitting the national team.
“I started playing professional football when I was 25 years old, in 2012. It was too late for a person like me,” Vozinha said in a post-match interview against Spain.
“I thought about leaving the national team, but then I continued because of this dream.”
He recounted how he rose to become one of the best goalkeepers in Cape Verde, but was not selected because of his height.
“I was one of the best keepers on my island, but I was small; even when I performed well, I wasn’t selected because of my height,” Vozinha recalled.
He left the island for Portugal, marking the beginning of his professional football career.
Vozinha currently plays for Liga Portugal 2 club Chaves.
Vozinha Club Career
| Club | Duration |
| Batuque FC (Cape Verde) | 2007–2011 |
| CS Mindelense | 2011–2012 |
| Progresso do Sambizanga (Angola) | 2012–2015 |
| Zimbru Chișinău (Moldovia) | 2015–2016 |
| Gil Vicente (Portugal) | 2016–2017 |
| AEL Limassol (Cyprus) | 2017–2022 |
| AS Trencin (Slovakia) | 2022–2024 |
| GD Chaves (Portugal) | 2024–Present |
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Vozinha International Career and World Cup Dream
He made his national team debut in 2012 and has managed 80 appearances for Cape Verde.
Vozinha has made several appearances at the Africa Cup of Nations with his national team.
He is the current captain of Cape Verde.
After his heroics that earned his nation a point against favourites Spain, the goalkeeper said in a post-match interview that playing in the World Cup has been a dream since childhood.
At 40 years of age, his dream came true, leading his side to a 0-0 draw against the 2010 world champions, making a historic 7 saves.
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PHOTO | Vozinha | Instagram
