40-year-old Cape Verde goalkeeper keeps favorite Spain to 0 goals at World Cup 40-year-old Cape Verde goalkeeper keeps favorite Spain to 0 goals at World Cup Text-Only Version Go To Full Site By The Associated Press The long, long wait was worth every fleeting second. Related Story: NPR As the final whistle blew, Vozinha hunched over near his net and cried before being embraced by his teammates. Cape Verde, in its first-ever World Cup match, had gotten a point against Spain, the 2010 champion and one of the tournament favorites this year. Vozinha said he was overcome by emotions thinking about his loved ones who were unable to see his finest performance: his grandparents who had raised him, and his mother. His grandparents died a few years ago. And his mother had been unable to gather the money in time to secure a visa to enter the U.S., Vozinha said. Cape Verde is among 50 countries whose citizens face bonds of up to $15,000 to secure a U.S. visa, part of President Donald Trump's broader crackdown on travelers from countries that officials said had high rates of visa overstays. The Trump administration last month suspended the requirement for ticket-holders from Cape Verde and four other World Cup nations, but critics said it was too late for many fans. Vozinha's performance was a culmination of a career that didn't even start at the professional level until Vozinha made his debut at the age of 25 for Angolan club Progresso. Since then, he's had stops in Moldova, Cyprus, Slovakia and Portugal, where he currently plays for Chaves in the Portuguese second division. He joined the national team in 2012 and at times, Vozinha said, he thought about retiring from the national team, but he "continued because of this dream." "I work all my life for this, for this moment, for this dream," Vozinha said. "A lot of generations in the past (dreamed of) this day but they did not achieve. And now the dream comes true." The word "vozinha" is Portuguese for "little grandmother," and the goalkeeper said he was given the nickname by older kids who would beat him on the soccer field and then laugh, saying he was going home to complain to his grandparents. Years later, he took on the nickname after someone else on his club also had the same first name, Josimar. Related Story: NPR Fans across the world noticed, too: Vozinha's following on Instagram exploded from around 50,000 people to more than 2.4 million a few hours after the match. "He lives and breathes Cape Verde," said defender Pico Lopes, who noted Vozinha can come across as a strict teammate during practice. "He's always on us to keep us on time. But that's what he does. He pushes us to be better. And you saw it today - he leads by example." Links
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