Cape Verde's World Cup breakout star Vozinha has now officially joined Chilean giants Colo-Colo after his heroic displays on the world stage. The experienced goalkeeper turned into a viral name during the summer tournament, drew attention from several corners of the world, and then chose to continue his career in South America.

Chilean giants make a move for veteran goalkeeper

In a transfer that surprised many, Chilean powerhouse Colo-Colo have confirmed the signing of Josimar Dias, better known across football as Vozinha. The 40-year-old goalkeeper has signed a reported 18-month contract and arrives as a free agent after the expiry of his previous deal. The Chilean club, who have won the Liga de Primera 34 times and the Copa Libertadores once, greeted their new signing with a short message on social media: "Welcome. We're waiting for you."

The veteran joins a club rich in history and one that is currently in a dominant spell in domestic football. Colo-Colo are sitting comfortably at the top of the Chilean table, with a 13-point advantage over rivals Club Deportivo Universidad Católica. By bringing in Vozinha, they have added a player who showed he can still perform at the highest international level despite his age. The move also ends the uncertainty over his future, after he had been linked with several clubs, including possible interest from MLS side Inter Miami.

A World Cup legacy in North America

Vozinha's profile rose sharply during Cape Verde's historic run to the round of 32 at the World Cup. In the team's first match, a hard-fought draw against eventual tournament winners Spain, he delivered a remarkable sequence of seven saves. That performance made him the oldest goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet on his World Cup debut. The Blue Sharks leaned heavily on his experience throughout the group stage as they exceeded expectations to reach the knockout rounds.

His performances did more than help Cape Verde on the field; they turned him into a global celebrity almost overnight. His Instagram following, which was a modest 50,000 before the tournament began, famously jumped to nearly 14 million after the Spain match. By the time he signed in Chile, that figure had climbed even further to an astonishing 29.5 million followers. That level of social media reach underlines the huge cultural impact he had during the tournament in North America.

Testing the GOAT in the knockouts

Maybe the peak of Vozinha's tournament came in the round of 32 clash against reigning champions Argentina. In a match that held neutral supporters' attention, the Cape Verdean goalkeeper put in a heroic performance and made eight saves in total. Importantly, four of those stops came against Lionel Messi, including a brilliant save to deny a trademark free-kick from the Inter Miami star. Even so, Cape Verde eventually went down 3-2 in a narrow defeat to the Albiceleste.

After the game, Vozinha spoke about a heartfelt exchange with Messi that he says he will remember forever: "I went up to Messi after the game. He hugged me and said: 'You are great. Your people should be proud of you'. That was incredible for me." The goalkeeper also said he asked the Argentina captain to exchange shirts, and Messi agreed: "I thanked him and said, Thank you, Leo. You are the best. Then I asked if we could swap shirts. Leo said he would give it to me in the tunnels after the interview."

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From lower division to World Cup Best XI

His consistency throughout the tournament was rewarded when FIFA selected him in the official Best XI of the World Cup. It was a huge achievement for a player who had spent the previous three seasons with G.D. Chaves in the second division of Portuguese football. His ability to stay composed against some of the world's most dangerous attackers, including Saudi Arabia where he kept his second clean sheet, showed that he was still a top-class professional capable of leading from the back.