Vozinha
Cape Verdean footballer (born 1986)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Josimar José Évora Dias[a] (born 3 June 1986), commonly known as Vozinha,[b] is a Cape Verdean professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for the Cape Verde national team.
|
Vozinha in 2026 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Josimar José Évora Dias[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 3 June 1986 | ||
| Place of birth | Mindelo, Cape Verde | ||
| Height | 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2007–2011 | Batuque | ||
| 2011–2012 | Mindelense | ||
| 2012–2015 | Progresso do Sambizanga | 51 | (0) |
| 2015 | Mindelense | ||
| 2015–2016 | Zimbru Chișinău | 26 | (0) |
| 2016–2017 | Gil Vicente | 28 | (0) |
| 2017–2022 | AEL Limassol | 116 | (0) |
| 2022–2024 | AS Trenčín | 34 | (0) |
| 2024–2026 | Chaves | 51 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2012– | Cape Verde | 94 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 20:36, 15 June 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 10:50, 4 July 2026 (UTC) | |||
Vozinha's club career has consisted of spells in Cape Verde, Angola, Moldova, Portugal, Cyprus, and Slovakia. A full international since 2012, and the second-highest caps earner in the history of the Cape Verde national team, he has played in five major international tournaments: the Africa Cup of Nations in 2013, 2015, 2021, and 2023 and the FIFA World Cup in 2026. Vozinha attracted significant international attention and acclaim for his performance at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, keeping clean sheets against Spain and Saudi Arabia as well as leading Cape Verde in a highly-lauded bout against defending champions Argentina in the knockout phase.
Club career
Born in Mindelo on the island of São Vicente, Cape Verde, Vozinha began his career at local club Batuque,[2] playing for them until 2011 before moving to local city rivals Mindelense.[3] In 2012, he was signed by Progresso do Sambizanga in Angola,[4] remaining for three years until the expiration of his contract.[5] In March 2015, Vozinha returned to Mindelense in the São Vicente Island League, signing for one year.[5] He played all games in the successful Cape Verdean Championship campaign, excluding the final.[6]
In July 2015, he joined Moldovan National Division club Zimbru Chișinău.[6] Vozinha moved in August 2016 to Gil Vicente of the Liga Portugal 2,[7] in which he saved five penalties in 32 games.[8] In June 2017, he joined Cypriot First Division side AEL Limassol.[8] After five years in Cyprus, Vozinha joined Slovak First League club AS Trenčín in August 2022, signing for six months with an option for a further year.[9] In July 2024, he returned to Portugal, signing for Liga Portugal 2 side Chaves.[10] On 1 June 2026, approaching his 40th birthday and with his contract expiring, he announced his exit.[11]
International career
Vozinha made his debut for the Cape Verde national team in September 2012 in a 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualification playoff first leg at home to Cameroon, a 2–0 win.[12] He remained in goal for the second leg in Yaoundé on 14 October, a 2–1 loss which saw Cape Verde qualify for its first major tournament.[13] At the finals in South Africa, the team reached the quarterfinals before a 2–0 loss to Ghana. He conceded the second goal after going up for the throw-in in the lulling seconds to attack corner kick.[14]
Vozinha also played at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.[15][16] On 7 October 2020, he earned his 50th cap in a 2–1 friendly win away to Andorra,[17] and a year later he was called up for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.[18] Vozinha was called up once more to play in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.[19]
Vozinha made his World Cup debut at the 2026 FIFA World Cup for Cape Verde.[20] In the side's first game, Vozinha saved seven shots, securing a 0–0 draw for Cape Verde against a significantly higher ranked Spanish side (#2 vs #67).[21][22] He won the Player of the Match Award for his performance.[23][24] At 40 years and 12 days old, he became the oldest player to feature in a nation's first FIFA World Cup match – breaking the record that had been set by Curaçao's Eloy Room just a day earlier – and was also the ninth-oldest player to ever feature in the tournament.[25][26] He also became the third-oldest goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet in a World Cup match, following Peter Shilton and Dino Zoff, and, in the process, moved into second-place among goalkeepers over 40 years old for most saves in a World Cup match on record (since 1966).[27] On 26 June, he kept another clean sheet in a goalless draw against Saudi Arabia, helping his country qualify for the knockout stage as group runners-up.[28][29] In the Round of 32, Vozinha saved eight shots against defending champions Argentina in a 3–2 loss in extra time. Vozinha's performance was lauded by fans and the media, and he was named a "hero" for Cape Verde.[29][30]
Personal life
Vozinha's parents wanted to name him Valdano after Argentina player Jorge Valdano, but it was not permitted by Cape Verde authorities. He was given his first name in honour of Josimar, a full-back for Brazil at the 1986 FIFA World Cup.[25] He was given his nickname by his grandparents, who raised him. He said that he played under his first name until he moved to Angola, where another goalkeeper was also called Josimar.[31]
Vozinha's younger brother, Delmiro, was also a Cape Verdean player and played for several clubs in the Cypriot Second Division.[32] His other brother, Kleidir, is a mathematics teacher in Brazil.[33]
Vozinha gained over 17 million Instagram followers days after his FIFA World Cup debut against Spain, following coverage by Brazilian broadcaster CazéTV and Portuguese broadcaster LivemodeTV, and a united campaign to help the goalkeeper reach 1 million followers to celebrate his performance.[34][35]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 9 May 2026
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Zimbru Chișinău | 2015–16 | Moldovan Liga | 26 | 0 | — | — | 26 | 0 | ||
| Gil Vicente | 2016–17 | Liga Portugal 2 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 29 | 0 |
| AEL Limassol | 2017–18 | Cypriot First Division | 35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 41 | 0 |
| 2018–19 | Cypriot First Division | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 13 | 0 | ||
| 2019–20 | Cypriot First Division | 23 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 27 | 0 | |
| 2020–21 | Cypriot First Division | 34 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 39 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | Cypriot First Division | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 15 | 0 | |
| Total | 116 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 135 | 0 | ||
| AS Trenčín | 2022–23 | Slovak First League | 9 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 14 | 0 | |
| 2023–24 | Slovak First League | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 25 | 0 | ||
| Total | 34 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 39 | 0 | |||
| Chaves | 2024–25 | Liga Portugal 2 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 32 | 0 | |
| 2025–26 | Liga Portugal 2 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 19 | 0 | ||
| Total | 51 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 51 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 255 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 280 | 0 | ||
International
- As of match played 3 July 2026[36]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Verde | 2012 | 2 | 0 |
| 2013 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2026 | 8 | 0 | |
| Total | 94 | 0 | |
Honours
Footnotes
- Portuguese: [ʒɔ.zi.ˈmaɾ ʒu.ˈzɛ ˈɛ.vu.ɾɐ ˈdi.ɐʃ]
- Kabuverdianu: [vɔ.ˈzi.ɲɐ]
