Cape Verde’s 2026 World Cup debut vs. Spain went from a nightmare group stage draw to a dream tie. It was all thanks to the unlikely hero of Vozinha, the 40-year-old goalkeeper who managed to save every attempt at goal from the Spaniards.
Vozinha’s heroics made him an instant cult sensation, and his social media followers are massive proof of that. Vozinha went from 56k followers, to a 15 million audience and counting.
That is an incredible amount of new followers for a veteran goalkeeper that was previously never seen as a megastar. For Vozinha, this growth is a testament to his talent and performance against Spain.
Vozinha is the second 2026 World Cup social media sensation
Just before the 2026 World Cup began, an Argentinian influencer searched for the less-followed soccer player in the tournament. The results of his investigation showed that it was New Zealand’s Tim Payne, who had less than 5,000 followers.
The content creator started a campaign to make Tim Payne an overnight sensation and he achieved that goal. Now, Tim Payne has 5.9 million followers and he even got a move to Paraguay’s biggest club, Olimpia.
Vozinha and Payne’s growth differ in a key aspect
The year 2026 is just proving that fame can be achieved in many ways, shapes, or forms. Tim Payne was basically a social experiment by an influencer that ended as a hugely viral story.
Vozinha’s way to achieve fame was to use the platform of the World Cup to perform in an elite level against a contender, and let the global stage of the tournament learn your name.
For both, these are massive deals and life-changing moments that will help them secure sponsorships, commercial deals, and help them post-career. After all, Vozinha is 40, and Payne is 32, they’re not spring chickens.
