40-year-old giant Vózinha's World Cup masterclass

Age is just a number. On Monday night (June 15) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, a 40-year-old goalkeeper proved that beyond any doubt. In their first-ever FIFA World Cup match, Cape Verde held European champions Spain to a 0–0 draw in Group H — and the man who made it possible was Jocimar José Évora Dias, known to the world simply as Vózinha.

Spain dominated from the first whistle, repeatedly threatening through Mikel Oyarzabal, Aymeric Laporte and Ferran Torres — the latter rattling the crossbar with a golden opportunity — yet Vózinha produced an inspired masterclass to deny them all.

Cape Verde's 40-year-old goalkeeper made seven saves against Spain, keeping a clean sheet on his FIFA World Cup debut — the oldest goalkeeper ever to do so. Spain finished with an expected goals (xG) total of 2.29 from 27 shots, seven of which were on target, and Vózinha saved every single one. Since 1966, the only goalkeeper aged 40 or above to make more saves in a single World Cup match was Pat Jennings — on his 41st birthday for Northern Ireland against Brazil in 1986, when he made ten.

Beyond shot-stopping, Vózinha also distributed effectively under intense pressure, completing 10 of his 23 long balls to give Cape Verde an outlet when Spain pinned them deep into their own half.

He was in tears at full time, awarded Man of the Match, and his emotions said everything about what the night meant. Before kick-off, he had 50,000 followers on Instagram. By the final whistle, that figure had surpassed 1.2 million.

His full name is Josimar José Évora Dias. Born on June 3, 1986, in Mindelo on the island of São Vicente, he carries a nickname that tells its own story. In Portuguese, Vózinha means "little grandma" — a name rooted not in his age, but in how he was raised, growing up with his grandparents after his parents were unable to care for him as a child.

"No one in Cape Verde knew me by that name," he once told FIFA. "But when I arrived in Angola, there was another goalkeeper named Josimar, and I was not going to put Josimar II on my shirt — so the nickname it was."

A professional since 2007, Vózinha has represented Cape Verde since 2012, accumulating close to 90 international caps across clubs in Angola, Moldova, Portugal, Cyprus and beyond. He currently plays in Portugal's second division with GD Chaves. He has also featured in four Africa Cup of Nations — in 2013, 2015, 2021 and 2023 — establishing himself as one of the most decorated figures in Cape Verde football history.

Spain's xG of 2.29 against Cape Verde's 0.3 underscored a night of near-total dominance that ultimately yielded nothing. According to SofaScore, Vózinha prevented 1.46 goals based on the xG model — a figure that barely captures the scale of his individual performance.

In the closing stages, Cape Verde even had a chance to win it outright, only for Diney Borges' header to be saved by Spain goalkeeper Unai Simón. The introduction of Lamine Yamal from the bench in the 71st minute could not unlock a defence that simply refused to yield.

Cape Verde's goalkeeping depth extends beyond their talismanic No. 1. Twenty-nine-year-old Márcio Rosa and 25-year-old CJ dos Santos — a Philadelphia-born shot-stopper now representing Cape Verde who plies his trade with MLS side San Diego FC — wait in the wings, representing the next generation.

But Monday night belonged entirely to one man. Standing between the posts for a nation of fewer than 500,000 people, on the grandest stage in world football, Vózinha delivered the performance of his career — and perhaps one of the great individual goalkeeping displays in recent World Cup memory.

Cape Verde face Uruguay next on June 21. Vózinha's story is far from over.