$FUN Vozinha (Vozinha)

1. Basic Information
Full name: Josimar José Évora Dias
Birthday: June 3, 1986 — at the 2026 World Cup he will be exactly 40 years old, the oldest goalkeeper at this World Cup, the team vice-captain, and the No. 1 starting goalkeeper.
Nickname origin: As a child, he always loved to tell his grandmother about his grievances, and his teammates called him “Vozinha (Little Grandma),” a name that has been used ever since.
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2. A Tumultuous and Inspirational Life

- A late bloomer: He officially became a professional player only at 25. In his early years, he was eliminated from youth training due to not being tall enough. At one point, he even gave up football, before moving around across multiple countries’ lower-tier leagues to make a living; at 39, he was nearly set to retire as well, but he stayed with the team to pursue his World Cup dream.
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- A massive disparity in value: Before the World Cup, his market value was only 50,000 euros. His annual salary was meager, making a huge difference compared with Spain’s total market value of 500 million euros for their starting XI.
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- The reason for his tears after the match: After drawing with Spain, he cried on the spot—first because he realized his dream of the World Cup, and second because it was a regret that his mother couldn’t be there to watch. Later, with help from multiple parties, his mother arrived in the United States to watch his next match in person.
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- Overnight stardom: His social media account followers surged from 50,000 before the match to 5.5 million, with follower growth over a hundredfold—making him a global symbol of inspiration.