When you think of the star power that is present at this year’s FIFA World Cup, some of the best and biggest names surely come to mind.
Players like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé and Harry Kane, among others, are some of the most recognizable names in the world for both casual and hardcore fans alike.
But there’s one player that you may be forgetting. A man who has rocketed to superstardom practically overnight based on the merits of his performance against a global soccer superpower.
That man is none other than Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha, whose scintillating seven-save masterpiece against Spain earlier this week has grown his social media follower count from one measured in the thousands to tens of millions in a little more than three days.
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As of writing, the 40-year-old has over 13.5 million followers on Instagram alone, making him one of the most recognizable social media presences in the world.
Truly mind-bending stuff for a guy no one outside a few pockets of the soccer world knew about just seven days ago, but it gets even crazier when you realize just how popular he is, as well as the stars he’s passed up along the way.
As I wrote about earlier this week, Vozinha surpassed Super Bowl winner Patrick Mahomes and his 6.4 million Instagram followers just 24 hours after guiding Cape Verde to a 0-0 draw against Spain.
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What you may not know is that he also has a sizable follower lead on guys like NBA champion Jalen Brunson, skateboarding legend Tony Hawk and world No. 1 tennis star Jannik Sinner.
At this rate, he’s even on pace to catch the great Tom Brady, who sits at a staggering 15.4 million followers on Instagram.
Vozinha might be one of the few people on the planet whose follower count is higher than the total population of his home country (roughly 530,000 residents).
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It will be quite some time before he catches the likes of Messi or Ronaldo, whose combined Instagram following exceeds 1 billion, but nevertheless, Vozinha’s rise to a global household name has been impressive.
If he can lead Cape Verde out of their group, who knows what that could mean for his social media presence?
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In the meantime, I’m sure the only thing Vozinha is worried about is his next match against Saudi Arabia.
He could focus on being an influencer at any point in the future. Right now, his country needs another heroic performance from him.
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