Josimar José Évora Dias, known as Vozinha, arrived at the London Palladium on Monday night to take his place among the goalkeepers of the year. The 40-year-old from Mindelo, on the Cape Verdean island of São Vicente, was nominated for the Yashin Trophy at the Ballon d’Or ceremony.
The nomination reflected his improbable run at this summer’s World Cup, not his club career. He has played in scattered appearances for Chaves in Liga Portugal 2 and has spent much of his time at Chilean club Colo-Colo as a largely ceremonial figure. His journey has taken him through Angola, Moldova, Portugal, Cyprus, Slovakia and now Chile.
At the World Cup, Vozinha shut out eventual champions Spain in Cape Verde’s opening match and later pushed eventual finalists Argentina to the brink in the round of 32. His Instagram following grew from 56,000 to 27.7 million, and fans around the world voted him the starting goalkeeper in FIFA’s Dream XI.
Vozinha’s nickname is the Portuguese word for “granny.” For many people, he came to represent anyone who refuses to give up on long-deferred hopes.
A Humbler Ambition
He still has his own goals, though they are more modest than his recent achievements. On Sunday, he made his first league appearance for Colo-Colo this season, even though he had been expected to miss the game to travel to the Ballon d’Or. He has struggled to win the starting job from his teenage rival. His side drew 1-1 with Palestino, and Vozinha made three spectacular saves that left the opposition stunned and gave his manager difficult selection decisions.
He then rushed to Santiago’s airport to begin the trip to London. Wearing a white tracksuit, he walked through the terminal with a bodyguard who kept an arm around his waist, and he waved to fellow travellers who called out encouragement. He flew with club president Aníbal Mosa to Madrid, then boarded a private jet for the final leg. He departed only six hours before the awards were set to begin.
His standard tuxedo was waiting on a hanger in the back of the plane. He changed quickly and made his way through London’s crowded streets to the Palladium. French Montana had already opened the evening by performing his hit “One Night” on a double-decker bus, and Vozinha seemed to embrace that spirit of hope against long odds.
Before taking his seat, he signed more autographs than most. He also asked for photographs with Barcelona star and Ballon d’Or contender Lamine Yamal and veteran manager Fabio Capello, behaving more like a fan than a fellow professional. He then made his way to his seat, posing for hundreds of cameras with the wide-eyed, teary-eyed expression that had won over millions of fans.
Fame’s Costs
In a recent interview with The Observer, Vozinha said the pressures of sudden fame have outweighed its rewards. “A lot of people want to be famous and have a public profile, but they only see the positive side of that reality,” he said. “To be honest, if I were offered the life I have today or the life I had before, I’d choose the one I had before.”
His form has not always matched the headlines. In September, Cape Verde lost twice in AFCON qualifying. Vozinha made a costly error in a 3-1 loss to Mali, and he failed to stop either of the two shots he faced in a 2-1 defeat to Rwanda.
After his noisy arrival at Colo-Colo, he told reporters: “Despite playing in smaller leagues for clubs that weren’t exactly giants, deep down I always told myself I was a ‘big club’ player.”
A Moment Before the Spotlight Moved On
Top goalkeepers usually attract interest from elite clubs, and Vozinha has not. During the ceremony, the video presentation of the nominees cut away before it reached his name. It was a telling moment, but his nomination still stands as a meaningful tribute rather than a sign of bigger things ahead.
His former manager at Chaves, Vítor Martins, captured the story well after Vozinha left Portugal for his World Cup run. “He’s at a very specific moment in his career and living a unique moment in his life, one he perhaps thought impossible, about to play in a World Cup at 40 years old,” Martins said. “He was a perfect professional until the end.”
Even at his best, Vozinha faced some bad luck. Spain hit the crossbar in their match against Cape Verde, and they created more chances against him than away from him. His run ended after a dramatic extra-time defeat to Argentina, in which he stopped Lionel Messi more than once.
He knows that Monday’s ceremony would be his closest brush with that kind of greatness. He took a seat in the second row, far from the aisle, because he did not expect to be called to the stage. He looked at the game’s leading goalkeepers, including David Raya and Unai Simón, whom many considered the likely Yashin Trophy winner. He understood that he would never match their rewards, only share some of their experience.
After his remarkable performance against Spain, he had sobbed and said: “The performance is a performance for everyone.”
When the evening ended, Vozinha lingered in the aisle, seemingly unsure where to go next. He looked up at the Palladium’s chandeliers, wide-eyed and teary-eyed once more. He had travelled a long way to reach London, and for one night he could count himself among the giants of the game, along with everyone who had followed his story.