The Modern Odyssey: Cape Verde’s ‘Ulysses Spirit’ Rewrites World Cup History Against 2010 Champions

The Modern Odyssey: Cape Verde’s ‘Ulysses Spirit’ Rewrites World Cup History Against 2010 Champions

Cape Verde: To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield

PADDAJA ROY

During my graduation, I came across the poem “Ulysses” by Lord Tennyson. The poem is a dramatic monologue where the speaker, Ulysses, the king of Ithaca, refuses to yield to his dull pointless life and old age, and decides to follow his passion and gain new experiences, “To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.” Although Ulysses has physically grown weak due to his old age, he refuses to surrender to it and aims to live a life full of adventures and experiences.

            There has been evidenced a growing tendency among people where, as soon as some people step into their late twenties and thirties, they start fostering the belief “I am too old for this”. Most of us give up certain dreams and stop chasing our passions, just because age and time bring forth new challenges. But some dreams are stronger than age, and some souls are too stubborn to give up on their dreams so easily.

            Approximately 5,150 kilometers from Ithaca, there lies Cape Verde. Cape Verde is an archipelagic country in the central Atlantic Ocean and is situated around 600 kilometers off the coast of West Africa. It was a colony of Portugal and for 500 years it remained under the Portuguese territory until it gained its independence on July 5, 1975.

Till yesterday, Cape Verde was famous for its volcanic islands, colourful fishing towns, idyllic beaches, and the unique blend of Portuguese and African cultures. But today, Cape Verde has gained immense fame for another reason. One match. One draw. And now the name of Cape Verde sits in the hall of fame.

            15^th June, 2026, the fifth day of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. It was Cape Verde’s debut match against Spain. After Germany’scrushing 7-1 victoryover debutants Curacao, there was some fear amongst fans for the fellow debutant team of Cape Verde’s which were making their first appearance in the World Cup 2026. While Spain ranked second in the FIFA World Rankings, Cape Verde which happens to bethe second-smallest country by land area and the third least populated in the 2026 FIFA World Cup held the 67^th place.

And in a stunning sequence of events, Cape Verde stunned the global stage by holding on to a goalless 0-0 draw against Spain thereby earning their first ever point in the history of World Cup. Seen as the first major shock of the group stage, the 0-0 tie at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium will live long in the annals of Cape Verde’s football history. But what makes it more appealing is the performance of their goalkeeper and the team’s vice-captain, Josimar José Évora Diasaka Vozinha.

            Cape Verdean professional footballer Vozinha plays as a goalkeeper for Liga Portugal second tier club Chaves, and the Cape Verde national team. He turned 40 on 3June thus becoming the second oldest man to make his debut, and the oldest man to appear for a team playing for the first time in the World Cup. Supported by the superb defence of his team, the veteran goalie’s astounding performance made a number of excellent saves and preserved a clean sheet. Vozinha along with his teammates,Stopira, Pico Lopes, and Mendes are now the core of the Cape Verde squad.

            After the game, Vozinha lamented the fact that the grandparents with whom he grew up were not able to be there to watch the game, “I cried because I grew up with my grandparents and they could not be there.They passed away. My mum could not be here either because of a visa issue, and the money we had to pay for it. We did not manage to do this in time” Vozinha said in an interview with FIFA.

Growing up, Vozinha’s parents wanted to name him Valdano after Jorge Valdano, the Argentinean player and the former Real Madrid forward and the former general manager of Real Madrid. However, as the authorities of Cape Verde did not permit it to be registered, he was named as Josimar as a tribute to Josimar Higino Pereira, a full-back for Brazil with his amazing performance at the 1986 FIFA World Cup.

Thus, his name speaks of a legacy which he has rightfully maintained through his performance. His nickname Vozinha means “Grandmother” or “Granny” in Creole and he remembers how he was called so because he would often complain to his grandmother about the teasing and bullying which he faced as a teenageron the island of São Vicente, “In my area, the other boys were much older, and I’d always be playing with them in the street, getting kicked about a lot. That’s because I was very good with my feet and I was competitive and rebellious, I didn’t like losing. I’d get knocked about a lot and whenever I couldn’t get my own back with things like that, I’d go home in a rage, with a face like thunder, and they’d make fun of me, saying I was going off to complain to my grandparents”.

Thus, his nickname came from his grandparents while his parents worked to support the family.When Vozinha was trying to get into the football teams of his area, he was often overlooked by coaches due to his small stature. However, he went through a growth spurt in his late teenage years which brought a number of opportunities for him.

However, it was only during his mid-20s that he turned into a professional football player and went on to play in Cyprus, Slovakia, Moldova, and eventually Portugal, where he currently plays forChaves.In the year 2012 he made his international debut, and he also participated in the four AFCON (Africa Cup of Nations) tournaments and now, in the World Cup.

However, Vozinha actually was considering not to join the national team and it was only after all his teammates talked to him and encouraged him to join that he stayed. In one of his interviews, Vozinha says, “It was a very hard time.I was thinking of stopping with the national team. All my team-mates talked to me, they encouraged me to stay because of the World Cup. I stayed because of that, because it was my dream, the dream of all of us.”

            After the game which awed the world, Vozinha said, “We work in life to have moments like this. I am 40 now but I was not a professional until I was 25. This is a reward for all this journey… I would tell 18-year-old Vozinha to be really proud of himself. He worked a lot. To be honest, I never dreamt of stuff like this when I was a kid, but after this game I can tell my younger version that it was all worth it.”

27 shots faced, 7 saves, and 0 conceded, he achieved a clean sheet on his World Cup debut at the age of 40. Vozinha’s story can be seen as the story of the present-day Ulysses. Until last night, few people knew his name. And today, he shines as an inspiration to millions, paving the path which heralds, “It is never too late to chase and achieve your dreams”. Great things come to those who wait, who strive, and who do not yield, and Vozinha has just proved it.

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