“He perdido la paz y la tranquilidad,” Josimar José Évora Dias, known as Vozinha, told The Observer about his sudden celebrity.
Three months after arriving at Colo as a global sensation from the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the Cape Verde goalkeeper has struggled for playing time and faced intense public scrutiny in Santiago, Chile.
Vozinha made his World Cup debut at age 40, anchoring Cape Verde through historic group-stage matches against Spain, Uruguay, and Argentina. Before starting his professional career in 2007, he worked as a garbage collector, and played in the Portuguese second division while balancing football with work as a beach volleyball monitor.
His Instagram follower count surged from tens of thousands to 27.5 million during the tournament. He also finished sixth in the Yashin Trophy voting at the Ballon d’Or gala in London and signed endorsement deals with Adidas, Pepsi, and Red Bull.
During his early weeks in Chile, he frequently visited a bakery in Vitacura, one of Santiago’s wealthiest neighborhoods, where establishment manager Gustavo Cassin noted that he felt welcomed and could discuss topics other than football.
Colo welcomed the veteran with fireworks at Estadio Monumental, but manager Fernando Ortiz has frequently favored 19-year-old academy product Gabriel Maureira. Vozinha appeared in only five of the club’s first 14 matches and waited nearly a month to make his debut for the squad, the only Chilean team to win the Copa Libertadores in 1991.
Despite limited action, he started in goal for the Albos in a 2-1 victory over Ñublense that secured the club’s latest title and qualification for the 2027 Copa Libertadores.
Technical questions have followed the goalkeeper’s performances in South America. Former Chile international Claudio Bravo criticized his technique, stating: “Comete varios errores en una situación que exige coordinación (…) y, si no tienes coordinación, nunca lo vas a conseguir”.
Vozinha signed an initial six-month contract with an option for an additional year triggered if he plays at least 50 percent of official minutes, though local media have speculated about a departure in 2027.
“Si soy sincero, si tuviera que elegir entre la vida que tengo ahora y la que tenía antes, preferiría la de antes,” the goalkeeper told The Observer.
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