Vozinha, Cape Verde goalkeeper, gives name to new species of sea slug

Image caption, Vozinha made seven saves against Spain to keep a clean sheet.

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Author, Michael ShortRole, Sports journalist – BBC

Published 2 hours ago

Reading time: 2 minutes

After receiving widespread acclaim around the world for his performance in the World Cup with the Cape Verde national team, goalkeeper Vozinha has received another honour: a newly discovered species of sea slug has been named after him.

It is noted that the veteran goalkeeper's real name is Josimar José Évora Dias, but he chose to wear 'Vozinha' on his shirt in memory of his late grandmother.

Spanish biologist Jesús Ortea discovered this small red sea slug in the Caribbean region and chose to name it after the 40-year-old star of this small country. It now bears the name 'Aldisa vozinha'.

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Ortea is known for his research on marine life and his passion for football.

Cape Verde is the second smallest country ever to reach the World Cup finals. After advancing from the group stage, they held defending champions Argentina until the end, before exiting the tournament with a 3-2 loss after extra time in the round of 32.

Before that, Vozinha had helped the team earn its first point in a World Cup with a goalless draw against European champions Spain.

In a report explaining his discovery, Ortea said he wanted to highlight Vozinha's 'outstanding role', and also noted that the match was against a team nicknamed 'La Roja' (the Red), referring to the Spanish team.

His report added: 'The red colour of the species named after him serves as a reminder of his achievement.'

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Vozinha's brilliance in that match led to his overnight fame, with his Instagram followers jumping from 50,000 to 17.4 million, a number exceeding that of athletes like American football legend Tom Brady.

Ortea, professor emeritus at the University of Oviedo in Spain, was awarded the Order of Merit by the island nation in 2023 in recognition of his work in the waters around Cape Verde.

This was not the first time the 75-year-old researcher, passionate about football, combined his two interests.

Ortea had previously named a discovery found in Costa Rica after Keylor Navas, the former goalkeeper of that country, who also played for Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, and Nottingham Forest.

He also named a small creature after former striker Kenny of Spanish club Sporting Gijón, as it bore the same colours as the club's shirt.

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