Cape Verde made history at the FIFA World Cup 2026 with a goalless draw against European champions Spain — and the man at the centre of that famous result was 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha, whose extraordinary performance inspired a continent.

Yet the story behind Vozinha runs far deeper than one night in Atlanta. It stretches back four decades to the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico, and involves two of football's most storied nations: Argentina and Brazil.

A name born from Mexico 1986

Born Josimar Dias, the Cape Verde shot-stopper revealed after the draw with Spain that his very name carries a piece of World Cup history. His father, Ze Pedro, was so captivated by Argentina forward Jorge Valdano's performances during the 1986 tournament — Valdano scored four goals alongside Diego Maradona as Argentina lifted the trophy — that he set out to name his newborn son after the striker.

The plan hit an unexpected wall. A registry official in Cape Verde refused the request, citing rules that barred foreign names at the time. Forced to look elsewhere, the family settled on another player lighting up Mexico that summer: Brazilian full-back Josimar, whose thunderous strikes against Northern Ireland and Poland made him one of the tournament's brightest stars.

And so, Josimar Dias it was.

Valdano's reaction

Days before Cape Verde's historic World Cup debut, FIFA informed Jorge Valdano of this remarkable story for the first time. The former Argentina forward was visibly moved.