A month after his gloves turned him into one of the World Cup's most improbable stars, Vozinha is on his way to Chilean football. ONE reports that the 40-year-old Cape Verde goalkeeper has reached an agreement to join Colo-Colo, the country's most decorated club, with confirmation coming directly from club president Aníbal Mosa.
"We have reached an agreement with him," Mosa told the Argentine outlet Olé, ending days of speculation that had followed Vozinha since Cape Verde's World Cup run ended. The Chilean club later said the move puts it "in the global spotlight," a nod to both the goalkeeper's footballing pedigree and the attention his story has generated worldwide.
Vozinha, whose real name is Josimar José Évora Dias, was born on June 3, 1986 in Mindelo and had spent his career largely out of the spotlight, turning out for clubs in Angola, Moldova, Cyprus, Slovakia and Portugal. He arrived at the World Cup as a free agent, having just left Chaves of Portugal's second division, with reports linking him to interest from Inter Miami among others.
None of that prepared the football world for what followed. Cape Verde, the second-smallest nation ever to qualify for a World Cup, reached the tournament for the first time in its history, and Vozinha became the unlikely face of the run — at 40, the oldest outfield story of the summer, keeping a clean sheet against Spain and becoming an instant social media sensation.
The adventure ended on July 3 in the round of 32, when holders Argentina needed extra time to see off Cape Verde 3-2. Lionel Messi opened the scoring before Deroy Duarte equalised; Lisandro Martínez put Argentina back ahead in extra time only for Sidny Lopes Cabral to level again, before a stoppage-time own goal finally ended the underdogs' run.
Vozinha's performances throughout the tournament, including saves that kept Cape Verde competitive against far wealthier opposition, earned him a place among the World Cup's most talked-about players and, by several accounts, a spot in the tournament's team of the competition.
Colo-Colo, based at the Estadio Monumental in Santiago and chasing a return to the Copa Libertadores in 2027 under coach Fernando Ortiz, now wants to add that story to its own history. Mosa has been candid that the move carries commercial as well as sporting value for a club looking to raise its international profile.
According to the reporting picked up by ONE and matched by outlets in Chile and the United States, the agreement is still verbal at this stage. Vozinha is expected to travel to Santiago in the coming days for a medical examination before signing a contract that multiple reports put in place through December 2027, followed by an official presentation at the Estadio Monumental.
For a goalkeeper who was jobless a matter of weeks ago, it is a remarkable turn: from released free agent to a marquee arrival at one of South America's grandest clubs, all inside a single World Cup summer.
