Vozinha had to wear a different name on the back of his shirt after joining his new club.
Vozinha, the 40-year-old goalkeeper who impressed everyone at the World Cup playing for Cape Verde, won’t be able to use his nickname on his new Colo-Colo shirt.
It’s been an amazing summer for the experienced goalie, who became a star after his great performance against Spain in the group stage. Before that game, he had just 50,000 Instagram followers, but in one day that number jumped to over 1 million! Now, he has more than 29.6 million followers, even more than big names like Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes, and Tom Brady.
After shining at the World Cup, Vozinha has been linked to a move to Colo-Colo, just months after leaving Portuguese club Chaves, where he played only 19 games last season. Colo-Colo, one of the top teams in Chile, has already offered him a contract. The club president, Aníbal Mosa, said, “Vozinha is going to be a Colo-Colo player. He’ll travel to Chile soon, have his medical check-up, and then be officially introduced.”
Although the president called him Vozinha, the Chilean league doesn’t allow nicknames on jerseys. If a player uses one, they’d get a yellow card and a fine. So, Vozinha will have to wear ‘Evora’, ‘Dias’, or ‘Evora Dias’ on his back instead. But who knows—fans might still buy shirts with his well-known nickname!
Before joining Colo-Colo, Vozinha shared his love for soccer and his wish to keep playing past 40: “I want to play for at least another year or two, depending on how my body feels. I hope to find a team that wants me for my skills, not just for marketing.”