Monday's 0-0 tie between Cape Verde and Spain will go down as one of the biggest, if not the biggest, shocks in recent FIFA World Cup history, with the 67th-ranked side shutting out the 2024 UEFA Euro champions.
A result made all the more remarkable given that it was Cape Verde's first ever World Cup game, the Man of the Match award ultimately went to their 40-year-old goalkeeper, Vozinha .
The starter for Portuguese second division club Chaves for the past two seasons, Vozinha has shot to notoriety since the final whistle blew, with his Instagram following jumping from 50,000 to 2.5 million as of 5pm ET.
The 40-year-old was named Man of the Match in Atlanta -Credit:Maddie Meyer - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images
Among the millions watching on and cheering for Vozinha was his mom, who wasn't able to be in attendance at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, due to an unspecified visa problem.
"This is a message of thank you to everybody in Cape Verde," he said post-game, via The Athletic . "We are very happy after this, this group of players have worked a lot to live this moment. It's a day to be proud and satisfied.
"I cried after the game because I grew up with my grandparents when I was a kid, and they could not be there. They passed away a few years ago. My mom could not be here either for a visa issue, and the money we had to pay for it. We did not manage to do this in time."
Set to depart Chaves this summer, the journeyman shot stopper has a lengthy resume, having also played in Cyprus, Slovakia, Moldova, Angola, and Cape Verde. All the while, Vozinha has amassed 89 international appearances, with his long-awaited World Cup debut perhaps the pinnacle of his career thus far.
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"I am so proud about being Man of the Match," he said. "For me, it's an honour to represent the country I love. We are from a very small place, and our qualification path was very difficult too.
"Today, our dream came true by competing against a team like Spain. I am very proud of all the people involved in that process.
"We work in life to have moments like this. I am 40 now, but I was not a professional up until I was 25. This is a reward for all this journey.
"I would tell 18-year-old Vozinha to be really proud of himself. He worked a lot. To be honest, I never dreamt of stuff like this when I was a kid, but after this game I can tell my younger version that it was all worth it."
Of course, Vozinha and Cape Verde's World Cup journey is far from over, with a trip to Miami, Florida, ahead of them, where they'll take on Uruguay on June 21. They will then close out their group stage against Saudi Arabia five days later in Houston, Texas, hoping to make it through to the Round of 32.
