No one would have expected that one night could change the life and the level of fame of a 40‑year‑old journeyman from Cape Verde. The 10 million followers he gained in record time are not only the result of his heroics on the football pitch, but also of the fascination with his remarkable life story. A man who never surrendered to his fate and who fights for his late family, above all his “little grandmother”, who was primarily responsible for raising him. “My grandfather and my grandmother are the most important people in my life. Today I am Vozinha thanks to them,” he emphasized in an interview. His inspiring journey from playing in lower leagues to gaining international recognition is more than moving.
Vozinha is not only a hero in Cape Verde, a small country in the Atlantic with only 500,000 inhabitants, a fraction of the population of many Thai provinces, and a GDP of just 89 billion baht. Through his dedication, he has put this small country on the world map. In an interview with Men in Blazers, he said: “We may be a small country in the ocean, but we have a big heart. We are ready to face any challenge and we want to etch the name ‘Cape Verde’ into the hearts of all people.”
Today, Vozinha has proven that it is possible to fulfill one’s dream – to engrave the name of his homeland and his family forever in the minds of people around the world. For many, Cape Verde will no longer be just a dot on the map, but the country that is proud of its hero Vozinha.
