Vozinha, the Cape Verde goalkeeper who became a football star at the 2026 World Cup at the age of 40, has spoken openly about the cost of his sudden celebrity. In an interview with The Observer, the veteran admits he would trade his current life for the one he had before: “I preferred my life before fame, I have lost my peace and quiet.”
The most visible change, he explains, is the loss of anonymity. “I no longer have privacy, or at least I have much less than before. Now I go out, I go to a restaurant, and there is always someone who wants to take a photo with me or ask me for an autograph. Or, even worse, someone is filming me. That is what has changed the most in my life, and I don’t think there’s anything I can do about it,” he told Dani Gil.
That shift followed his outstanding performance against Spain at the World Cup, after which his Instagram following jumped from 56,000 to more than one million within a few hours. Vozinha recalls being caught completely off guard. “A member of the catering team came up to me and told me I had millions of followers. I had no idea what he was talking about; I thought he was joking, but he insisted. Later, I went to speak to the press in the mixed zone and a journalist from CazéTV asked me if I knew what was happening. She showed me her phone and that was when I saw I had more than a million followers… I decided to turn off Instagram notifications so I wouldn’t be tempted to keep checking who was following me.”
Despite the attention, Vozinha kept his commercial activity to a minimum while Cape Verde were still competing. “I know that during the World Cup there were many companies and brands that wanted to work with me, but while we were competing I only did one promotional collaboration, with UFL Mobile. I don’t know what offers might arise in the future, but for now I don’t want to work with tobacco, alcohol, or betting brands,” he said.
Reflecting on the nature of celebrity, he pointed out that the outside view rarely captures the whole picture. “Many people want to be famous and have public exposure, but they only see the positive side of that reality. To be honest, if I were given the choice between the life I live now and the one I had before, I would choose the one I had before.”
His new profile has not only affected him. The Colo-Colo goalkeeper says those close to him have had to adjust as well. “They have to learn to live with the situation and to set boundaries,” he said. The impact of his World Cup performances also changed his own plans, leading him to put his retirement on hold.
There is, he acknowledges, a broader upside. Vozinha highlights the visibility his fame has brought to Cape Verde. “It’s nice to feel like a kind of ambassador, but I want to make it clear that what we achieved was a collective effort,” he said. “We made history, and the best news would be to be able to take advantage of that momentum to develop our country and improve the living conditions of our people.”
On his move to Colo-Colo, Vozinha explained the reasoning behind the decision. “It was the club that showed the most interest. I did not receive offers from the United States and there were some contacts with Saudi Arabia, but nothing concrete. Hopefully I can soon play in the Copa Libertadores.”