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Cape Verde goalkeeper, Vozinha says he has lost his peace and privacy following his sensational rise to global fame at the 2026 World Cup.
The 40-year-old, whose full name is Josimar Dias, became an overnight star after his Player of the Match performance against Spain in June, where he made seven saves to keep a clean sheet in a 0-0 draw in Cape Verde’s World Cup debut.
Before the game, the goalkeeper who was playing for Chaves in Portugal’s second tier had about 56,000 followers on Instagram. By full-time it had passed one million after Brazilian broadcaster CazéTV urged viewers to follow him, and by the end of the tournament it surged beyond 20 million.
Cape Verde went unbeaten in the group stage with draws against Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia, before taking Lionel Messi’s Argentina to extra time in a 3-2 Round of 32 defeat. Vozinha finished the tournament with 18 saves at a 78% save rate.
Speaking to The Observer, Vozinha said fame has become a burden.
“I’ve lost my peace and tranquillity. I no longer have any privacy, or at least much less than I used to. Now I go out, I go to a restaurant, and there’s always someone who wants to take a photo with me or asks me for an autograph. Or, worse, someone is filming me,” he said.
“To be honest, if I were offered the life I have today or the one I had before, I’d choose the one I had before,” he added.
Vozinha said he initially thought it was a joke when a member of the catering staff told him he had a million followers in the dressing room after the Spain game, until a CazéTV journalist showed him her phone in the mixed zone.
Now at Chilean giants Colo-Colo after leaving Chaves as a free agent, the goalkeeper said he has turned down many commercial offers and will not work with tobacco, alcohol or sports betting brands.
