Vozinha to Colo Colo confirmed after World Cup breakout
Colo Colo welcomed Cape Verde keeper Vozinha as president Aníbal Mosa said he will travel to Chile for medical checks.
By Deshawn Carter · Sports Writer
2 min read
Vozinha to Colo Colo is set to happen after the Cape Verde goalkeeper turned a World Cup spotlight into a move to Chile’s biggest soccer club, according to the Associated Press.
Colo Colo posted a welcome message for the 40-year-old on its social media pages Friday, telling him the club was waiting for him. The AP reported that the post stirred excitement among supporters of the Santiago club and more widely in Chile, whose national team missed out on a third straight World Cup.
Aníbal Mosa, president of Blanco y Negro, the company that manages Colo Colo, said shortly before the club’s post that Vozinha would become a Colo Colo player. Mosa told reporters the goalkeeper would soon head to Chile, complete the required medical examinations and then be introduced at Estadio Monumental, Colo Colo’s home ground in Santiago.
Local media reported that the agreement runs for 18 months, according to the AP.
When will Vozinha join Colo Colo?
Mosa said Vozinha is expected to travel to Chile in the coming days. The club president said the next steps are medical tests and a formal presentation at Estadio Monumental.
The move follows a World Cup that changed the goalkeeper’s profile fast. The AP reported that Vozinha was without a club contract during the tournament, yet became one of its standout names through saves against elite opponents including eventual champion Spain and defending champion Argentina.
Vozinha, whose full name is Josimar Dias, represented Cape Verde, the island nation off Africa’s west coast. Cape Verde’s tournament run ended in the round of 32 with a 3-2 extra-time defeat to Lionel Messi’s Argentina, according to the AP.
Who is Vozinha?
Vozinha is the football name of Cape Verde goalkeeper Josimar Dias. At 40, he drew international attention at the World Cup after a series of performances that made him one of the tournament’s most discussed players, the AP reported.
That attention has spilled far beyond the pitch. According to the AP, Vozinha’s social media following rose from just under 50,000 before his World Cup exposure to nearly 29 million.
For Colo Colo, the signing brings a suddenly global name to Santiago. For Vozinha, it is a swift landing after a tournament in which he arrived without a club deal and left with a major South American move waiting.
This story draws on original reporting from ESPN.com.