Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha experienced a remarkable surge in popularity after his heroic performance against Spain at the FIFA World Cup, according to The Sun.
The 40-year-old shot-stopper delivered a standout display as Cape Verde held Spain to a stunning 0-0 draw in their World Cup debut.
His performance impressed pundits on Brazilian broadcaster Caze TV so much that they encouraged viewers during halftime to help Vozinha reach 100,000 followers on Instagram.
Fans responded immediately. Within minutes, his follower count skyrocketed to 220,000 and continued to rise throughout the match.
Vozinha, who plays for Portuguese second-division club Chaves, was likely greeted by an avalanche of notifications after the final whistle. By the hour mark, his Instagram following had climbed to 350,000.
At full-time, the veteran goalkeeper had amassed 389,000 followers, and astonishingly gained another 500,000 within five minutes of the match ending.
By the time he returned to the dressing room, Vozinha had surpassed the one-million-follower mark.
The experienced goalkeeper capped off his memorable evening with a superb clean sheet as Cape Verde stunned Spain in Atlanta.
Vozinha has been playing for Cape Verde since 2012 and was earning his 89th cap against Spain.
After the game, he said: “I cried after the game because I grew up with my grandparents when I was a kid, and they could not be there. They passed away a few years ago.
“My mum could not be here either for a VISA issue, and the money we had to pay for it. We did not manage to do this in time.”
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