Cape Verde Goalkeeper Gains 8 Million Instagram Followers After Shutting Out Spain

Sometimes a 0-0 draw can be one of the biggest moments of a nation’s sporting history. You gotta love the World Cup.

It was certainly the biggest career moment for Cape Verde’s man of the match, 40-year-old keeper Vozinha, who began the day relatively unknown outside of his nation, a collection of ten islands off the coast of West Africa. He began the day with 56,000 followers on Instagram. By the time the match ended, that number had grown to nearly two million. As of this morning, it’s at 7.9 million and counting. Here he is finding out about the bump.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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This World Cup has already created its share of stars, from random fans trekking through the American South like FreddieLA7 to the entire Scottish entourage. But none have quite won our hearts like the Vozinha, who wept at the end of the match.

“I work hard all my life for this, for this moment, for this dream,” Vozinha said in a post-game interview with FOX Sports’ Alex Aljoe.

No one expected Vozinha and his Cape Verde defenders to keep a clean sheet against perennial contenders Spain in the nation’s first ever World Cup match. He made seven saves, several from close range and against superstars like Lamine Yamal and Pedri. Spain dominated possession and took 23 shots to Cape Verde’s 6. But the first-time qualifiers continually frustrated their famous opponents despite only committing a single foul to Spain’s 10.

Spain were such big favorites that a $100 bet for them to win would only earn $109 back. That didn’t stop someone betting and losing $1 million for the chance to earn an easy $86,000. On the other hand, a mystery better won $9 million on a pair of bets—that Spain wouldn’t win outright and that Cape Verde would cover the 2.5 goal spread.

But the big winner was the nation of Cape Verde, its fans and the team that gave us the most exciting 0-0 draw a soccer fan could hope for. Watch Vozinha’s highlights below.