Vozinha, the Cape Verde national team goalkeeper, has climbed to the top of the rankings of the most-followed goalkeepers on Instagram following his remarkable performances in the current edition of the 2026 World Cup, amassing more than 22.6 million followers and surpassing Spanish goalkeeping legend Iker Casillas, who had long held the top spot with 20.4 million followers — before the Cape Verde keeper, transformed by the tournament from an obscure player into a global star, overtook him.
Vozinha's follower count rose from just 50,000 before the World Cup kicked off to 22.6 million, as his account was flooded by fans from the moment the tournament began. He gained more than 2 million additional followers in recent hours alone following his exceptional performance against Argentina in the round of 32, where he played a pivotal role in keeping his country's side in contention until the final moments of a match that ended in a 3-2 defeat for Cape Verde after extra time.
The enormous wave of engagement was driven by his crucial saves against Lionel Messi and his teammates, as well as a moment in which he dribbled past striker Martínez inside the penalty area — a clip that spread widely across social media platforms and returned his name to the global spotlight.
Through the popular momentum he has generated, Vozinha managed to surpass Casillas, who had sat at the top for a long time with around 20.4 million followers, making the gap between the two now considerable — especially as Vozinha's account continues to attract an unrelenting stream of followers from football fans around the world.