On June 18, Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha stated in an exclusive interview with TNT Sports Brazil that Messi is his role model, and he hopes to play against him and exchange jerseys.

During the interview, Vozinha said, "I really hope to play against Messi and even get his jersey."

The reporter then posed a scenario: "Can you imagine this? Cape Verde leading 1-0, in the final minutes of the match, the opponent gets a penalty—something you specialize in. Standing at the penalty spot is Messi, and then you, Vozinha, make the save—you block the ball. That would be an incredible achievement, a dream come true."

Vozinha replied, "Yes, but if I really do save it, Messi probably won't exchange jerseys with me at that moment (laughs). Yes, that's possible, but that's football. We're here to compete, to make it difficult for our opponents."

Regarding the draw with Spain, Vozinha said he has recovered emotionally from it. He is confident it was a well-prepared match by his team. Although outsiders generally view Cape Verde's draw as an "unexpected surprise," internally they always believed they were competitive. "We knew the match would be difficult, but we also knew that as long as we stayed united and maintained our integrity, we would have a chance to get the result we wanted." He stressed that the team's belief never wavered.

Reflecting on his childhood, Vozinha spoke of his grandfather's profound influence on his career path. He recalled that as a young teenager, his grandfather was often mocked and questioned when Vozinha played poorly and made mistakes. But his grandfather always defended him firmly, repeatedly telling people on the street and at the sideline, "My grandson is the best, and one day you'll see him in the national team." This belief became a spiritual pillar in his life, allowing him to always stay focused on his goals.

However, family life was not easy. He mentioned that his grandfather later became a long-term alcoholic, and his physical condition gradually deteriorated. Sometimes he would even collapse on the street and couldn't get up, requiring young Vozinha and his grandmother to care for him. Due to financial hardship, his grandmother once had to pawn her earrings and gold ring for daily necessities, redeeming them when conditions allowed, just to ensure the family's basic needs and allow him to eat and attend school normally.

Because of this, he still doesn't drink alcohol. He acknowledges that he loves his grandfather deeply, who also accompanied him throughout his growth, through the hardest years. "I cried after the match against Spain, largely because I remembered my grandparents," he said, emotions always lingering beneath the surface.

Speaking about his early career, Vozinha felt he started late as a goalkeeper. He recalled that he wasn't tall in his youth, and outsiders generally believed he had no future if he didn't keep growing taller. Only at age 17 or 18 did he experience significant growth, and by then, the football environment in Cape Verde was still largely amateur or semi-professional. Although he had the opportunity to develop in Portugal, real-world conditions weren't ideal, and he was also worried he couldn't continue supporting his grandmother's livelihood, so he chose to return home to continue his studies, even planning at one point to study architecture as a backup career path.

However, a year later, he became the starting goalkeeper for the national champions and was named Cape Verde's Best Goalkeeper. Looking back on this experience, he acknowledged that he truly started his professional career late, only stepping onto a stable professional stage around 2012, when he was already 25 or 26 years old.

Regarding attention from over 12 million social media followers, Vozinha said it completely exceeded his expectations. "It would be a lie to say I anticipated this scale." He admitted that although he occasionally uses social platforms, he doesn't post frequently. Now, suddenly facing such massive attention, he finds it somewhat difficult to adapt, unable even to reply to messages one by one, and everything feels rather unreal.

He also clarified rumors regarding his mother's visa. He stated that his mother has never traveled abroad, doesn't even have a passport, and the farthest place she's ever visited is the beach. Initially, his mother said she wouldn't go, but when the visa fee issue arose, she even suggested, "If we have to pay, why not pay it to help him," because there are five people in the family and financial pressure is significant. Later, even though relevant fee policies were adjusted, his mother never applied for a passport. Only when his father was preparing to apply for a US visa did she consider it, but she ultimately didn't complete the relevant procedures.

He used this opportunity to express his concern, believing that genuine economic barriers are unfair to many ordinary people. "Many Cape Verdeans want to come to the World Cup but cannot travel because the costs and deposits are too heavy for them." He emphasized that this is not just a personal issue, but a common dilemma faced by many ordinary families. "The World Cup should not belong only to the rich."

Finally, when discussing his World Cup dream, Vozinha stated that since the team's first day at the venue, they have not feared any opponent. He believes that whether facing Uruguay or Saudi Arabia, the team will fight for victory with the same confidence. "For us, there is no burden; the pressure is on our opponents. The bigger the challenge, the more we can show Cape Verde's true face."

When asked about his imagination if they met Argentina in the knockout stage, he said it would be a beautiful scene. In his mind, Messi is the role model among players, and he very much wants to compete against him on the pitch and exchange jerseys.

Diterjemahkan oleh AI.