Until just a few weeks ago, very few fans outside Africa knew who Vozinha was.
Today, the veteran Cape Verde goalkeeper is not only remembered for his historic performance at the 2026 World Cup: he also became the goalkeeper with the most Instagram followers on the planet, surpassing figures like Thibaut Courtois, Manuel Neuer, Iker Casillas, and Keylor Navas.
His growth was completely out of the ordinary. Before the World Cup he had around 50 thousand followers. After his performances against national teams like Spain and Argentina, and Cape Verde’s historic run, his account exploded to more than 28 million followers.
His saves, charisma, and moving personal story led millions of people to start following him. Several of his videos and posts even reached engagement figures that normally only the biggest stars in world football achieve.
Paradoxically, while his popularity was reaching historic levels, Vozinha was left without a club after his contract ended and became a free agent. Now, at 40 years old, the Cape Verdean goalkeeper is experiencing the most unexpected moment of his career, drawing interest from teams in different countries.
What began as the story of an unknown goalkeeper ended up becoming one of the most surprising phenomena to come out of the 2026 World Cup.