CAF President Patrice Motsepe hails Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha as an African success story

Confederation of African Football President Dr Patrice Motsepe has hailed Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha following his remarkable performances at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, using the veteran’s rise to global prominence as an example of what African football can achieve.

Motsepe made the remarks during his press conference in Johannesburg on Wednesday, July 22, where he addressed the media on Africa’s performance at the recently concluded World Cup and several other developments concerning CAF and African football.

“You remember Cape Verde’s goalkeeper, who is now a superstar? There was an event, and he came to me, and I was happy to see him because he made himself proud and made his country proud due to his impressive performance at the World Cup, and so Africa can do it,” Motsepe said.

The goalkeeper Motsepe was referring to is Vozinha, whose performances became one of the major stories of Cape Verde’s historic World Cup debut.

The 40-year-old announced himself on the global stage in Cape Verde’s opening Group H match against Spain. The Blue Sharks held the European champions to a stunning goalless draw, with Vozinha producing a series of crucial saves. CAF described him as the hero of the result after he repeatedly frustrated Spain’s attack.

Cape Verde continued to defy expectations and eventually finished second in their group to reach the knockout stages on their first World Cup appearance. Their qualification was confirmed following a 0-0 draw against Saudi Arabia, making them one of the tournament’s biggest surprise packages.

Vozinha’s reputation grew further when Cape Verde faced defending champions Argentina in the Round of 32.

Despite eventually suffering a dramatic 3-2 extra-time defeat, the Blue Sharks twice fought back to level the match and pushed Lionel Messi and Argentina deep into extra time. Vozinha was again outstanding, making a series of saves to keep his country in contention.

He finished the Argentina match with eight saves, including four from Messi, in what proved to be one of the standout individual goalkeeping performances of the tournament.

Cape Verde returned home as national heroes after becoming one of the most celebrated teams of the competition. Their performances were particularly significant considering the country, with a population of just over 500,000, was making its first appearance at football’s biggest tournament.

Vozinha’s performances have also transformed his international profile. Recent reports have linked the veteran goalkeeper with a move to Chilean giants Colo-Colo following his World Cup exploits.

For Motsepe, Vozinha’s emergence represents more than an individual success story. The CAF president believes the Cape Verde goalkeeper’s journey demonstrates the quality that exists across African football and what players from even the continent’s smallest nations can achieve when given the opportunity to perform on the world’s biggest stage.