A 40-year-old goalkeeper from a tiny island nation played the game of his life, shutting out Spain in his country’s first-ever World Cup match. His mother watched it on TV because the United States wouldn’t let her in.
Cape Verde’s Vozinha, born Josimar José Évora Dias, delivered seven saves against Spain on June 15, earning a 0-0 draw that gave his country their first point in World Cup history. Except the part where the host nation’s visa process kept one of the most compelling human-interest angles sitting thousands of miles away.
A debut for the history books, minus the family reunion
At 40 years old, Vozinha became the oldest player to debut for any nation in World Cup history. He plays his club football for Chaves in Portugal’s second division, Liga Portugal 2. Seven saves against one of the most technically gifted attacking nations on the planet. Cape Verde, a country of roughly 600,000 people, had never even qualified for a World Cup before this tournament. Their first result was a clean sheet against the 2010 champions.
Vozinha’s social media following reportedly surged from around 50,000 to over 2 million after the performance.
