Cabo Verde Goalie Surpasses Every Active NHL, NFL, MLB Player in Instagram Follower Count

Cabo Verde, located off the west coast of Africa, is one of the smallest countries to play in the history of the FIFA World Cup.

Cabo Verde Goalie Surpasses Every Active NHL, NFL, MLB Player in Instagram Follower Count

Vozinha (Image via NBC News)

When Cabo Verde recorded a clean sheet against the tournament favorites, Spain, the life of their goalkeeper, Vozinha, changed in ways one could have never thought of. Vozinha, who’s officially Josimar José Évora Diaz, made seven saves, playing a major role in the island nation’s first-ever World Cup point.

Vozinha, 40, became one of the biggest internet sensations of the FIFA World Cup 2026, hosted by the North American trio of the United States of America, Canada, and Mexico. Ahead of the World Cup, the goalkeeper had around 45,000 followers, which has quickly shot up to 17.1 million in two weeks. He has since surpassed the likes of all active players in three of the four major US sports leagues.

The closest player to Vozinha in terms of followers is Odell Beckham Jr., who has 16.5 million followers. Kansas City Chiefs athletes Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes are second and third on the most followers among active players list with 7.7 million and 6.4 million followers respectively. In MLB, Shohei Ohtani commands a global presence of 10.8 million followers, the most among any active player in the league.

San Diego Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr. and Los Angeles Dodgers’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto, second and third on the list, are more than 8 million short with 2.4 million and 2.3 million followers apiece. Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals forward who broke the record for most goals scored in the history of the league last season, leads the NHL follower count with 1.7 million.

Vozinha leads any active NHL, NFL, MLB athlete in the social media and majority of the NBA players. There are only a handful of basketball players, five to be precise, who have more than 17.1 million followers.

After an initial push from the Brazilian and Portuguese broadcasters to help the goalkeeper hit his first million followers, the rise to ascension has been monumental. Earlier, ahead of the World Cup, New Zealand defender Tim Payne also saw a massive growth in his social media rise. His follower count has grown to 5.9 million after an Argentine influencer made a video about Payne being the less followed player at the World Cup.

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Cabo Verde made historic knockout run after a sensational group stage

The archipelagic country, just off the West African coast, followed its inaugural success against Spain with draws against Uruguay and Saudi Arabia. With three points, Cabo Verde finished second and earned a straight spot in the Round of 32.

Vozinha (Image via AFP)
Vozinha (Image via AFP)

The Cabo Verde national team drew the South Americans 2-2. Defensive midfielder Kevin Pina, who plays for a Russian club, scored the Cape Verdeans’ first-ever World Cup goal, scoring from outside the penalty box. After the Uruguayans struck twice towards the end of the first half, Helio Varela netted once more in the 61th minute. The Cape Verdeans stuck with their stellar defense with strong pressing and forced turnovers.

It was magical how the group stage turned out for them. After two draws to open, they held the Asian team which defeated eventual champions Argentina in 2022 to another draw and earn that one point which opened the doors of knockout. Alike their inaugural game, the third game was also goalless.

Across three games, Vozinha made ten saves and rank third in most goalkeeping actions inside the penalty area. Now, after leading his team to a second place finish, he will face Lionel Messi and defending champions Argentina in the Round of 32.

This will be the first international game against Argentina for the archipelagic nation. The Argentines finished top of the group with three wins to start their title defense. It will be a game for the ages for the Cape Verdeans. A win would mean eliminating one of the biggest tournament favorites and becoming the dark horse no one predicted.

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