Josimar José Évora Dias is 40 years old and only played in his first World Cup in 2026. Everyone knows him as Vozinha. Few know that the name was born from children teasing him on a dirt field.
In Mindelo, Cape Verde, there was no grass or cleats. There was dust and bare feet. There, among neighborhood friends, a short boy would not let anyone score on him.
His teammates got angry. They hit him. And instead of hitting back, he ran into the arms of the person who raised him. When they played again, his friends already had the insult ready: coward, runs to his grandmother. In Cape Verde, nicknames meant to annoy stick forever. That one stuck for forty years.
Not even they, playing barefoot in the mud, imagined what they were starting. That mocking nickname would end up written on the back of a captain, in the stands of a World Cup, on the lips of an entire country.
Vozinha made seven saves against Spain. He drew with Uruguay. He lost to Argentina in extra time, after making history. His mother almost did not make it to see him because of a visa problem. His childhood friends, on the other hand, never left: they are in the photos, in the mud, at the origin.
Some nicknames are born to hurt. This one was born to remain in glory.