Cape Verde managed to secure a heroic 0-0 draw against Spain in the African country’s first-ever World Cup match on June 14, and it was largely thanks to Vozinha, the Blue Sharks’ goalkeeper, who made no fewer than seven saves from Spain’s seven shots on target.

This is a performance that will go down in history: at 40 years old, Vozinha, goalkeeper for Chaves in Portugal’s second division and valued at €40,000 by Flashscore, turned into Manuel Neuer on his line, stopping every attempt from the Spanish players.

He became the oldest player to make his World Cup debut and even finished the match in tears.

Beyond his outstanding performance, he completed 10 long passes and touched the ball 65 times, showing just how important he is to Cape Verde’s play, despite the team having only 26% possession and managing six shots, just one of which was on target.

“We worked very hard, and we made this dream come true. The effort came from all the players. We are very happy. We knew it wouldn’t be easy. Spain is one of the best teams in the world. We leave with this draw, and we have to be satisfied with it. Now, we have to keep working,” he told FIFA after the match.

“I dreamed of this moment all my life, I worked all my life to be on these stages. Today, I was able to be here and help the team thanks to my experience. I am very happy and thank you to all Cape Verdeans,” he added.

Born on June 3, 1986, in Mindelo, on the island of Sao Vicente, Vozinha was given the name Josimar Dias in tribute to the Brazilian full-back who shone at the 1986 World Cup, the year he was born.

“My father wanted to name me Valdano, after the Argentine striker Jorge Valdano from Real Madrid. But the authorities didn’t allow it,” the goalkeeper recalled in an interview with ESPN Brasil.

Unlike many dual nationals in the squad who trained in Europe, he began his career on his native archipelago, notably with CS Mindelense, one of the country’s most historic clubs. His talent quickly crossed the Atlantic, and he first moved to Angola to play for Progresso do Sambizanga before returning to Mindelense and then heading to Zimbru Chisinau in Moldova.

During his long and rich club career, Vozinha became a true football globetrotter. He played in Portugal, Slovakia, but it was especially in Cyprus that he established himself as one of the league’s best goalkeepers, notably winning the Cyprus Cup in 2019. Since 2024, he has been a key player for Chaves in Portugal’s second division.

Vozinha is a legend at home, above all because of his deep connection with the national team. An international since 2012, he has been part of all Cape Verde’s great adventures as well as its disappointments. He was there for the country’s historic first qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations in 2013, reaching the quarter-finals against all odds, and again for the same achievement in 2023 in Ivory Coast.

With 91 caps to his name and having captained Cape Verde during the qualifiers, he is the second most-capped player in Blue Sharks history, behind Ryan Mendes.

Thanks to this historic performance against Spain, the Cape Verdean veteran’s name is now on everyone’s lips across football social media. On Instagram, where his followers jumped from 48,000 before the match to 1.5 million less than 30 minutes after the final whistle.

在6月14日佛得角队史首场世界杯比赛中，这支非洲劲旅顽强地以0比0逼平了强大的西班牙队，而这在很大程度上要归功于“蓝鲨”门将沃济尼亚。全场比赛西班牙队七次射正球门，沃济尼亚全部化解，作出了不少于七次的关键扑救。

这场比赛足以载入史册的。40岁的沃济尼亚，目前效力于葡萄牙第二级别联赛的沙维什俱乐部，在数据网站Flashscore上他的身价仅为4万欧元。然而在本场比赛中，他仿佛诺伊尔附体，神勇无比，将西班牙球员的所有射门尝试拒之门外。他也由此成为世界杯历史上首秀年龄最大的球员，赛后他激动得热泪盈眶。

除了不可思议的扑救表现之外，沃济尼亚全场还完成了10次长传，触球65次。尽管佛得角全场控球率仅有26%，全队只完成6次射门且仅1次射正，但沃济尼亚的这些数据充分彰显了他对球队进攻组织的贡献，也证明他在战术体系中不可或缺。

赛后接受国际足联采访时，沃济尼亚说：“我们付出了巨大的努力，终于把这个梦想变成了现实。这是全体球员拼搏的结果。西班牙是世界最好的球队之一。能够带着一场平局离开，我们心满意足。接下来，我们还要继续努力。”他补充道：“我一生都在梦想这一刻，一生都在为登上这样的舞台而努力。今天我终于站在这里，并凭借自己的经验帮助了球队。我非常高兴，感谢所有佛得角人民。”

沃济尼亚1986年6月3日出生于圣维森特岛上的明德洛市，他的本名是若西马尔·迪亚斯，这是他父亲为了致敬1986年世界杯上大放异彩的巴西边后卫若西马尔而取的。不过这位门将曾在接受巴西ESPN采访时回忆道：“我父亲原本想给我取名‘巴尔达诺’，那是皇马阿根廷前锋豪尔赫·巴尔达诺的名字，但当局不允许。”

与队中许多在欧洲受训的双重国籍球员不同，沃济尼亚的职业生涯起步于佛得角本土，他曾效力于该国历史最悠久的俱乐部之一明德伦塞体育俱乐部， 后来转会安哥拉的桑比赞加进步队和摩尔多瓦的基希讷乌野牛队，并先后在葡萄牙、斯洛伐克踢过球。在塞浦路斯，他成长为顶级门将，并于2019年赢得塞浦路斯杯冠军。自2024年起，他成为葡萄牙第二级别联赛沙维什队的关键球员。

在佛得角国内，沃济尼亚早已是传奇人物。自2012年入选国家队以来，他经历了佛得角足球的所有辉煌与失落。2013年，他随队历史首次闯入非洲国家杯，并爆冷杀入四分之一决赛；2023年在科特迪瓦，他再次率队达到同样的成就。目前，他已代表国家队出场91次，并在预选赛期间担任队长，是“蓝鲨”队史出场次数第二多的球员，仅次于瑞安·门德斯。

凭借这场对阵西班牙的历史性表现，这位佛得角老将的名字迅速在足球社交媒体上成为热门话题。在Instagram上，他的粉丝数从4.8万猛增至150万。

(Translated by DeepSeek)