Vozinha

The 40-year-old goalkeeper made headlines around the world after starring in Cape Verde’s goalless draw with Spain.

Cape Verde’s heroic World Cup goalkeeper, Vozinha, has reached an agreement to join Chilean club side Colo Colo.

The 40-year-old stopper, who made headlines around the world after starring in a goalless draw with Spain, will travel to Chile for a medical before being unveiled, Colo Colo’s president, Anibal Mosa, announced on Saturday.

Vozinha became one of the most talked-about players at the World Cup with a string of remarkable saves against top teams, including defending champions Argentina.

The goalkeeper, who left Portuguese second-tier side Chaves before the summer, was voted into FIFA’s fan-selected World Cup dream team.

“Vozinha will be a Colo Colo player. In the coming days, he will travel to Chile, undergo the usual medical examinations and then be presented here at the Estadio Monumental,” Mosa said.

He added that Vozinha’s World Cup performance showed he deserved the move, while acknowledging the signing also carried marketing appeal for the Chilean side.

Colo Colo teased the signing on social media with an image appearing to show the veteran goalkeeper’s trademark curly hair.

Vozinha, whose full name is Josimar Jose Evora Dias, has also become a social media star, with help from Brazilian influencer Casimiro. The goalkeeper’s Instagram following has soared from 50,000 to nearly 30 million.

He also made headlines after revealing that his mother, Ana Candida Evora, was unable to travel to watch her son due to the cost of a bond payment for a visa to enter the US.

She was eventually granted a visa with all travel fees waived after lobbying from US House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries.

Colo Colo, who are based in the Chilean capital Santiago, are currently top of the Liga de Primera.

They are the most successful side in Chile and the only club from the country to win the Copa Libertadores.

Vozinha, the Cape Verde goalkeeper who earned plaudits for his World Cup performances, is set to join Chilean side Colo Colo.

The 40-year-old headed to the World Cup without a club after his contract with Portuguese second division side Chaves expired, but he became an overnight sensation by starring in a goalless draw against eventual champions Spain.

He has now found a new club, according to Colo Colo president Anibal Mosa.

“Vozinha will be a Colo Colo player,” said Mosa.

“In the coming days he will travel to Chile, undergo the usual medical examinations and then be presented here at the Estadio Monumental.”

Mosa said Vozinha’s World Cup displays showed he deserved the move, acknowledging the signing also carried marketing appeal for Colo Colo.

The club, based in the Chilean capital of Santiago, sit top of Liga de Primera – the country’s top division.

From his hometown of Sao Vicente in Cape Verde, Vozinha has been his jersey name throughout his club career.

Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha broke down in tears at the end of the 0-0 draw with Spain after the 40-year-old was mobbed by his teammates following a stunning display as he denied the European champions victory in their World Cup opener.

Cape Verde were pinned back in their own half for much of Monday’s game, but whenever Spain broke through their dogged rearguard, Vozinha came to the rescue.

His heroics earned him the player of the match, pulling off a string of saves at the end of the first half to deny Ferran Torres, Pedri and Aymeric Laporte.

Here’s everything we know about the Cape Verde goalkeeper:

Where does Vozinha play?

Vozinha goalkeeps for Chaves in Portugal’s second-tier football league.

The World Cup is by far the biggest stage he has reached, but Vozinha began his club career at home with Batuque FC, before transferring to CS Mindelense.

The veteran player’s experience comes from the myriad clubs he has represented – from Progresso in Angola to Zimbru Chisinau in Moldova, Gil Vicente in Portugal, AEL Limassol in Cyprus and AS Trencin in Slovakia, before arriving at Chaves.

Is Vozinha his real name?

No, Vozinha is a moniker for Josimar Jose Evora Dias. It came from his grandparents, whom he spent most of his time with as his father was in the military and his mother was working. The name checks out, since it means “little granny” in Portuguese.

From his hometown of Sao Vicente in Cape Verde, Vozinha has been his jersey name throughout the nomadic club pilgrimage across Africa and Europe.

“When I arrived in Angola, there was another goalkeeper named Josimar, and I said, ‘I am not going to put Josimar II on the shirt’. If everyone knew me as Vozinha in Cape Verde, that’s what I would be,” he told FIFA in an interview earlier this year.

What did Vozinha say after the match?

The Cape Verde keeper was reduced to tears by his heroics and fairytale World Cup debut.

“Very proud… It is an honour for me to represent my country,” Vozinha told reporters of his island nation, the third smallest nation to qualify for a World Cup.

“I cried because I grew up with my grandparents and, unfortunately, they were not here; they died a few years before, and they did everything for me and my life,” he added.

“Also, my mum, she didn’t manage to be here because of the visa. The money for the visa, we didn’t manage on time, and I would like her to be here.”

Is Vozinha world-famous now?

Yes, on all counts.

The goalkeeper’s Instagram following jumped from a modest 500,000 to nearly 5 million within a few hours of full-time in the Spain match.

His quiet brilliance was spotlighted on the world’s biggest stage for all to see.

French football star Paul Pogba took to social media after the match in praise of Vozinha.

“The Cape Verde goalkeeper is really something, waaaaw,” he wrote.