Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha has earned a remarkable new chapter in his late-blooming career after agreeing to join Chilean powerhouse Colo Colo following his breakout performances at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The 40-year-old goalkeeper, whose full name is Josimar Jose Evora Dias, will travel to Chile in the coming days to complete a medical before being officially unveiled at Estadio Monumental David Arellano, Colo Colo president Aníbal Mosa said Friday. Local reports say the deal is expected to run through the end of 2027.
"Vozinha is set to become a Colo Colo player," Mosa told reporters before the club's league match. "He will arrive in Chile in the coming days, undergo the necessary medical tests and then be presented here at the Monumental Stadium."
Mosa said the club was convinced by both the veteran's performances at the World Cup and the experience he brings to a squad chasing another league title.
"He's in very good form. That's why we're signing him," Mosa added.
The move comes after Vozinha emerged as one of the biggest surprises of the World Cup, helping Cape Verde produce one of the tournament's most memorable underdog stories.
Making their World Cup debut, the tiny island nation stunned the soccer world by reaching the knockout stage. Cape Verde opened with a scoreless draw against eventual champion Spain, with Vozinha producing seven saves in a commanding display that frustrated one of the tournament favorites.
The Cape Verdeans followed with a 2-2 draw against Uruguay and another scoreless draw against Saudi Arabia to finish second in Group H, becoming the first World Cup debutant to reach the knockout rounds since 2010 and the smallest nation by population ever to do so.
Vozinha delivered another standout performance in the Round of 32, making eight saves, including several against Lionel Messi, as Cape Verde pushed eventual finalist Argentina to extra time before falling 3-2 in a thrilling contest.
Across four World Cup matches, the veteran goalkeeper recorded 18 saves and two clean sheets, performances that earned him a place in FIFA's fan-voted Dream Team despite Spain goalkeeper Unai Simón winning the tournament's official Golden Glove award.
His heroics also transformed him into an international social media sensation.
Brazilian influencer Casimiro Miguel encouraged millions of viewers to follow Vozinha during Cape Verde's match against Spain, sparking an extraordinary surge in popularity. His Instagram following exploded from roughly 50,000 before the tournament to nearly 30 million, making him one of the world's most-followed soccer goalkeepers.
The attention capped an unlikely journey for a player whose professional career began much later than most.
Vozinha did not sign his first professional contract until he was 26 after working as an electrician while playing semi-professionally in Cape Verde. Since then, he has built a career across several countries, representing clubs in Angola, Moldova, Portugal, Cyprus and Slovakia.
His longest and most successful spell came with AEL Limassol in Cyprus, where he won the Cypriot Cup during the 2018-19 season and made more than 100 appearances. Most recently, he played for Portuguese second-division club Chaves before becoming a free agent after his contract expired around the World Cup.
A Cape Verde international since 2012, Vozinha has also represented his country at multiple Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, but his World Cup exploits elevated him onto the global stage for the first time.
He now joins one of South America's most successful clubs.
Colo Colo have won a record 34 Chilean league titles and remain the only Chilean club to capture the Copa Libertadores, lifting the continent's biggest prize in 1991. Led by Argentine coach Fernando Ortiz and featuring veteran midfielder Arturo Vidal, the Santiago club sits comfortably atop the Chilean Primera División standings midway through the 2026 season.
