Vozinha: 40-year-old goalkeeper inspires Cape Verde in historic opening match

When the final whistle blew at Atlanta Stadium, the cameras turned to Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha. Tears fell down his 40-year-old face as the weight of what he had just achieved began to sink in. His team drew 0-0 with highly rated team Spain. The stands erupted and thousands of Cape Verde fans cheered non-stop for 90 minutes, celebrating together - hugging, dancing and enjoying the result.

On the field, the players ran to hug each other in full happiness. Even neutrals were caught up in the atmosphere - when the match ended, many joined in the celebrations. Against European champions Spain, veteran goalkeeper Vozinha put in an outstanding performance, keeping a clean sheet and delivering the most memorable result in his country's history.

"I cried because I grew up with my grandparents," Vozinha said after being voted best player of the match. "Unfortunately, they are not here. They passed away a few years ago. They were everything to me, everything in my life. And also because of my mother. She couldn't be here because of visa problems. Because of the visa money, we couldn't make it in time. I want her to be here."

He also added: "Our best weapon is unity. No matter which player comes here, or which player is 10 or 15 years old, the way we treat our families is our greatest strength. People have thought that we came here just to enjoy the World Cup, but no, we know that there are teams that we will always respect, because this is our first time, but we come here to compete, and we come here to fight for your country."

For Vozinha, this moment has been prepared all his life. Born as Josimar Dias, the Cape Verde goalkeeper has spent his entire career pursuing his dream of participating in the World Cup. When the opportunity finally came, it brought with it a history. At 40 years and 12 days, he became the oldest player to appear in a country's World Cup debut, surpassing the record set on Sunday by Curacao's Eloy Room. In fact, only Egypt's Essam El Hadary was older on his World Cup debut.

This is a memorable milestone in his career, a career shaped by perseverance. "I started playing professional football when I was 25 years old, in 2012. It was too late for someone like me," Vozinha said. "I thought about leaving the national team, but then I continued because of this dream. This performance is for everyone. I was the man of the match, but this award is for all my teammates, because without them, nothing is possible. And I will continue to work for the team and for the people."

Cape Verde, located nearly 600km off the west coast of Africa, is a beautiful but isolated archipelago where opportunities for young players are limited. Growing up in Mindelo, Vozinha faced many challenges from the beginning. "I was one of the best goalkeepers on my island, but I was short," he recalls. "Even when I played well, I wasn't chosen because of my height."

Like many other players, he eventually left for Portugal, his country's former colonial power, in search of opportunity. This decision marked the beginning of a career that took him through Slovakia, Angola, Moldova and Cyprus. Currently, Vozinha is playing for Portuguese second division team Chaves.

Even his name Vozinha also carries a part of football history. His father had hoped to name him 'Valdano', after Argentina and Real Madrid legend Jorge Valdano, but the Cape Verde authorities refused. Instead, he was named Josimar, after the famous Brazilian defender at the 1986 World Cup.

Decades later, on another World Cup stage, Vozinha created his own history. Cheered on by thousands of Cape Verdean fans, he stood his ground against Spain's relentless attack, making seven crucial saves - only a goalkeeper over the age of 40 has made more saves in a World Cup match, Pat Jennings with 10 on his 41st birthday for Northern Ireland against Brazil in 1986. Each save was greeted like a Cape Verde goal by those in the stands in Atlanta.

Off the field, he also became a viral phenomenon - his Instagram followers increased from 50,000 to more than 5 million after CazeTV - the YouTube channel with World Cup rights in Brazil, urged viewers to follow him. "It's crazy," he told reporters when asked about it after the game.

Former Scotland midfielder Pat Nevin said the goalkeeper "lit up this game". "He was brilliant," Nevin told 5 Live. "He did it at 40. Every camera was on him, all his teammates were pointing at him. It was a beautiful moment. Cape Verde spent most of the game in its 18-yard box - not all of it, and when they countered, they were brave and countered in numbers. To do that and stay alert at that level, you can't do it if you're a group of individuals, you can only do it if you are a team."

Lee Dixon on ITV also said: "It was fantastic. A fantastic performance. They deserved the point more than anything and Spain hardly deserved any. They left the field disappointed but tonight was Cape Verde's. It was fantastic from every one of them, from the centre-backs, the defenders, and the other man [Vozinha] was crying - I was almost crying too."

For a country of just over half a million people, the third smallest nation to ever qualify for the World Cup, this is a result of immense significance. In the stands, their supporters showed similar intensity. Dressed in green and waving red, white and blue flags, they sang and danced throughout the match, lifting their team through every difficult moment. By the end of the match, the neutrals had also been conquered. Cape Verde's story has become everyone's story. A small country like Sheffield has attracted the attention of the football world.