Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha revealed in the aftermath of his heroic performance against Spain that his mother was not present in Atlanta because she couldn’t afford a visa to the United States.
Vozinha, 40, was the star of the show as he kept an amazing clean sheet to keep the European champions at bay and earn Cape Verde their first World Cup point on their debut, in a huge early shock.
The keeper has been his country’s No 1 for 13 years but his mother was not in the stadium. Cape Verde is on America’s list of countries whose citizens have to post a returnable bond of up to $15,000 (£11,200) before travelling to the US, as well as a visa fee.
“I cried because I grew up with my grandparents and unfortunately they were not here; they died a few years ago,” an emotional Vozinha said. “They were everything for me, for my life.
“I also cried because my mum didn’t manage to be here because of the visa. Because of the money we had to pay for the visa, we didn’t manage to [get it done] on time. I would like her to be here, but I’m also very happy.
“I have worked my whole life for this moment. I’m 40 years old. I started playing football professionally when I was 25, in 2012. I thought about leaving but I continued because of this dream.
“This is for everyone. I was named man of the match but this is for all of my teammates because without them nothing would be possible. I will continue to work for Cape Verde and for the people.”
Cape Verde, an archipelagic country off the coast of West Africa with a population of around 500,000, only made their major tournament debut in 2013 when they first qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations, reaching the quarter-finals.
“Our best weapon is our unity,” Vozinha added. “The way we treat our family is our best strength. Everyone thought we came here just to enjoy the World Cup, but we know we have a team that deserves respect.
“It’s our first time, but we are here to compete and to fight for our country. We will play all the games with our strategy and our coach’s tactics. We will try to do better than today’s game.
“I hope we can win some games and, who knows, maybe go through to the next round. I am very happy and proud of all our players.”
Cape Verde next face Uruguay in their second match before finishing the group phase against Saudi Arabia. All four teams are level on one point after the first round of matches.
