Vozinha, Cape Verde goalkeeper who became a hero in almost thwarting Argentina

The name of the Cape Verde goalkeeper who saved eight shots against a Lionel Messi-led Argentina team is one word, and not "Him," although that might be more appropriate after his performance on Friday. Vozinha, whose real name is Josimar José Évora Dias, almost led the biggest shock in World Cup history when he made a number of stunning saves in Cape Verde's 3-2 extra-time defeat against Argentina in the last 32. The 40-year-old goalkeeper made several jumping and diving saves, including a miraculous save on Messi's free kick in the 73rd minute. Vozinha emerged from his first World Cup as one of the names football fans will remember for a long time, thanks to his performances against Spain and Argentina. Vozinha opened Cape Verde's World Cup campaign with a 0-0 draw against Spain in the first match of Group H. He recorded seven saves in the game, producing one of the most surprising results in World Cup history. After Cape Verde's draw against Spain, Vozinha helped his team earn draws against Uruguay and Saudi Arabia. He made no saves in the 2-2 draw against Uruguay. However, he recorded three saves in Cape Verde's 0–0 draw against Saudi Arabia. That led to Friday's impressive performance. Although Vozinha conceded three goals, including one to Lionel Messi, he recorded eight saves. So, during the tournament, Vozinha recorded a total of 18 saves on 23 shots, giving him a save percentage of .782. His eighteen saves were the third most by any goalie in the tournament as Cape Verde were eliminated. He also ensured that Cape Verde did not lose a single 90-minute match in the 2026 World Cup. Vozinha made a lot of history in the 2026 World Cup. In terms of FIFA rankings, Cape Verde's draw against Spain is the fourth most surprising result in World Cup history. Cape Verde enters the tournament ranked 67th and Spain is ranked second. As for Vozinha, he became the third-oldest goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet in a men's World Cup match with clean sheets against Spain and Saudi Arabia, after Peter Shilton (40 years, 281 days) and Dino Zoff (40 years, 130 days), according to FOX Sports Research. In his seven-save performance against Spain, Vozinha became the oldest goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet in his World Cup debut and only the second goalkeeper aged 40 or older to record at least seven saves in a World Cup match since 1966, according to OPTA. Vozinha has seen his number of social media followers increase significantly since the start of the World Cup. His followers on Instagram rose from 50,000 to more than five million in the hours after his clean sheet against Spain. The number of Vozinha followers has more than tripled since then. He now has 18.8 million followers on Instagram after Friday's loss against Argentina, as of 9:30 p.m. ET. Vozinha had 90 international caps for Cape Verde before Monday's match, starting his senior international career in 2012. He kept nine clean sheets for Cape Verde over the last year before holding goal against Spain. He kept three clean sheets in five matches for Cape Verde at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. Vozinha currently plays for Chaves in the Portuguese League 2, the second division of Portuguese football. He spent most of his club career with Progresso (2012-15) and AEL Limassol (2017-22), though. Vozinha earned 116 caps during his time at AEL Limassol, a club in the Cypriot Premier League.