Recently, Cape Verdean goalkeeper Vozinha gave an exclusive interview to French media outlet L'Équipe. He reflected on his upbringing and career, recalling his childhood, the challenges of pursuing a career in professional football, and his emotions after helping Cape Verde qualify for the World Cup for the first time. He also discussed his World Cup performance, his nomination for the Golden Glove award, and his plans to establish a goalkeeper academy.
Please paste the third part of the exclusive interview.
Q: Cape Verde qualified for the World Cup for the first time in its history, and you wrote a legend this summer. What was your mindset before the World Cup began?
A few months ago, I lost my place in the starting lineup at Chaves, a Portuguese second-division team.
The coach at the time, Filipe Martins, objected to my leaving the club in November to join the national team for two friendly matches against Iran and Egypt. After that, I did not get any playing time until the new coach, Vítor Martins, took over and reinstated me as a starter at the end of February.
But deep down, I always had a feeling that something great was about to happen.
I felt I had a mission, and nothing could deter me from the path I had chosen.
I had only one thought on my mind: train, train, and train.
I kept pushing myself until my body was close to its limit. My goal was to be fully prepared for the World Cup.
During that time, this goal consumed my entire body and mind.
Q: Before the World Cup started, you were about to leave Chaves without a confirmed destination or any guarantees about your future. What was it like going into the tournament under those circumstances?
But this didn’t deter me.
I firmly believed that the World Cup would open up greater opportunities for me.
Saudi Arabia was an option I considered at the time. For me, it was a relatively easy choice because the Saudi League offers players high salaries and has no strict age restrictions. I believed I could sign the biggest contract of my career there while still playing at a high level.
However, I want to emphasize once again that my primary goal was to make my home country happy and proud.
I wanted to show the world the strength of the Cape Verdean people. We are a small country, and opportunities are hard to come by, but there is no shortage of talent here.
And talent is not limited to football.
Q: There was a shock in the opening World Cup match as Cape Verde drew 0-0 with Spain. You made seven saves and were named Player of the Match. Did you feel invincible that day?
Not to that extent.
However, despite having very little possession—only 29%—I quickly sensed that we wouldn't lose this match.
The whole team was united, everyone gave their all, and we were tactically disciplined. We were ready to give everything for each other.
Personally, I was very calm and focused that day, confident in my abilities.
Q: Why did you cry after the match?
At that moment, memories of every important moment in my life flooded my mind.
I thought of my grandparents, who passed away a few years ago, as well as my mother. She had originally planned to come to the United States to watch the match in person, but she could not because she did not receive her visa in time.
I thought of my entire family, as well as those who used to play football with me in the streets. I also remembered all the difficult moments I had experienced along the way.
When I was a child, many people said I had talent but that my height would be a problem. Fortunately, by the grace of God, I had a growth spurt at 17. (He is currently 190 cm tall.)
I've gone without pay and spent entire matches on the bench. I've doubted myself and been dropped from the national team without explanation. At the time, I even felt I might never be called up again.
But I never gave up.
I’ve worked my whole life for this moment.
All the emotions I had kept bottled up over the years finally burst out in that moment. I felt the huge weight on my shoulders lift at last.
Q: The day after the first World Cup match, your social media followers skyrocketed from fewer than 50,000 to about 2.9 million followers today, and media worldwide began to pay attention to you. How did you cope with this sudden surge in fame?
Of course, it's something to be grateful for, but it's also very difficult to handle.
I'm a mentally strong person, but no one can ever be truly prepared to become famous overnight.
I had to turn off notifications on my phone. Every morning when I woke up, I would have over 300 unread messages on WhatsApp.
People quickly found my phone number. Even those close to me received calls from strangers trying to reach me.
There were also many people with bad intentions who tried to exploit my fame to make money.
Q: Cape Verde then drew 2-2 with Uruguay and 0-0 with Saudi Arabia. After advancing from the group stage, you pushed Messi’s Argentina to the brink, ultimately losing 2-3 in extra time. What is the secret behind Cape Verde’s success?
Mental strength.
No one believed we could do it, but our goal was always to advance from the group stage.
In the locker room, we knew that nothing was impossible if everyone was willing to fight for each other.
We feared no opponent.
Even against Argentina, we firmly believed we had a chance to advance to the next round, even if the match went to extra time or a penalty shootout.
Unfortunately, we lost in the end, but we never collapsed; we kept fighting until the very last moment.
Immediately after the loss, we were very sad. But now, my heart is filled only with pride and satisfaction because we gave our all.
We showed the world that Cape Verde is a strong team.
This World Cup was the best moment of my life.
How did the people welcome you when you returned to Cape Verde?
We returned home on July 5th, Cape Verde's Independence Day.
After the long journey, everyone was exhausted. But when I saw the crowd gathered at the airport, all my fatigue seemed to disappear.
I saw love and joy in their eyes, from children to the elderly.
Those images will forever be etched in my mind.
We united the entire nation and touched people around the world. That feeling is indescribable.
I never imagined I would one day experience something like this.
My achievements have surpassed even my wildest dreams.
Q: How do you feel about your current status as a hero?
Thank you, but it’s not just me; our entire national team has put Cape Verde on the world football map.
Before this, Cape Verde's best results were reaching the Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinals in 2013 and 2023.
This is by no means my accomplishment alone.
Now, almost everyone knows what kind of country Cape Verde is. We have shown the world the strength of the Cape Verdean people.
I hope this World Cup creates more opportunities for the next generation of players.
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