Goalkeeper Josimar José Évora Dias, known in football as Vozinha, will continue his career in South America after becoming a new Colo Colo player, as confirmed this Friday by the president of the Chilean club, Aníbal Mosa.
The Cape Verdean goalkeeper will travel to Chile in the coming days to undergo medical examinations before signing his contract and being officially presented at the Monumental Stadium.
“Vozinha is going to be a Colo Colo player. In the coming days he is going to travel to Chile, he is going to undergo the rigorous exams as appropriate and then he will be presented here at the Monumental Stadium,” Mosa declared.
From anonymity to figure of the 2026 World Cup
At 40 years old, Vozinha lived the best moment of his career during the 2026 World Cup, where he was one of the great revelations of the tournament with the Cape Verde team.
His most memorable performance came in the goalless draw against Spain, the eventual world champion, a match in which he made seven decisive saves. Subsequently, they contributed to draws against Uruguay (2-2) and Saudi Arabia (0-0), before Cape Verde was eliminated in the round of 32 by Argentina, who needed extra time to win 3-2.
After the elimination, the goalkeeper highlighted the growth of football in his country.
“We are a very small country, a poor country, without many conditions, but also a resilient people.”
A story of improvement
Vozinha’s career is marked by perseverance. Born in Mindelo, on the island of São Vicente, he did not manage to sign his first professional contract until he was 26 years old and before that he worked as a garbage collector.
His last club was GD Chaves, from the second division of Portugal. Throughout his career he also defended the jerseys of teams in Angola, Moldova, Portugal, Cyprus and Slovakia.
Now he will take on a new challenge with Colo Colo, leader of the Chilean championship and the only club in the country that has won the Copa Libertadores.
A phenomenon on and off the field
Vozinha’s impact during the World Cup transcended sports. Upon his return to Cape Verde he was received as a national hero along with his teammates.
In addition, his popularity skyrocketed on social networks: during the World Cup he went from having around 50,000 followers on Instagram to more than 29 million, becoming one of the most media figures of the tournament.
