Little voice reveals that mother is absent from the World Cup due to visa problems
Cano Verde achieved a historic result this Monday (15), by drawing 0-0 with Spain in the first round of Group H of the World Cup. After the game, goalkeeper Vozinha, a great highlight of the African team, explained the reason why his mother was not accompanying him to the United States.
"My mother also couldn't be here because of problems with the visa and the money we needed to pay to get it. We couldn't resolve it in time", revealed the 40-year-old player to the press present at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
He also dedicated the result to his grandparents. "I cried after the game because I grew up with my grandparents when I was a child, and they couldn't be here. They passed away a few years ago", added Vozinha.
In the next round, the Cape Verdeans face Uruguay and will seek their first victory in the history of the World Cup. The match takes place next Sunday (21), at 7pm (Brasília time), at the Hard Rock Stadium, in Miami.
Meet Vozinha, Cape Verde's starting goalkeeper at the World Cup
Josimar José Évora Dias, aged 40, is one of the oldest players in this edition of the World Cup. He has already reported that the name that appears on the back came from his childhood, when he lived on the island of São Vicente, in Cape Verde.
"The nickname is because of my grandparents. I never lived with my parents. When I was born, my father was in the military. And my mother always had to work for something. So I always grew up with my grandparents. In my area the boys were much older and I always played in the street, getting hit a lot", he explained to the FIFA website.
Josimar José Évora Dias concluded: "He played very well with his feet, he was competitive and rebellious, he didn't like to lose. He took a lot of beatings, and whenever he couldn't get back he would go home angry, with a frown, and they would make fun of me, that I was going to complain to my grandparents."
When he pursued his playing career and left Cape Verde, he was still called Josimar, however, he came across another goalkeeper who had the same name in Angola.
To avoid confusion, he decided to use his childhood nickname. Furthermore, his real first name, Josimar, was a tribute from the goalkeeper's father to the Botafogo defender who played for Brazil in the 1986 World Cup.
Goalkeeper Vozinha, from Cape Verde, in action against Spain in the World Cup - FIFA via Getty Images
In club football, the veteran goalkeeper ended up occupying the position left by Hugo Souza, from Corinthians, in Portugal. In 2024, after the end of the Corinthian goalkeeper's loan and his return to Brazil, Vozinha was announced by CD Chaves to take over the position.
His professional career was mainly marked by stints at lesser teams. Revealed by Batuque, he also played for Mindelense before starting his international career.
Over the years, he played for Progresso, from Angola, Zimbru Chișinău, from Moldova, AEL Limassol, from Cyprus, AS Trenčín, from Slovakia, and Gil Vicente, from Portugal, until moving to Chaves.
See the ranking of the most valuable squads of the World Cup
Source: CNN