Cape Verde's goalkeeper #01 Vozinha waves at the end of the 2026 World Cup Group H football match between Uruguay and Cape Verde at the Miami Stadium in Miami Gardens on June 21, 2026. Picture: PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA / AFP
Image: PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA / AFP
Ever since Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha produced a brilliant performance to help his side hold heavyweights Spain to a goalless draw last week at the Fifa World Cup, the player’s Instagram follower count has continued to skyrocket.
Vozinha, 40, has now gained more than 15 million new followers since the tournament started. It means his estimated earnings from the social media platform have risen to around R2.5 million per sponsored post.
Vozinha grabbed headlines for his heroics against Spain, denying stars such as Lamine Yamal, Rodri and Fabián Ruiz as Cape Verde secured a memorable point.
Meanwhile, Brazil star Endrick has gained the second-highest number of followers during the World Cup, adding 3.1 million. The 19-year-old only made his first appearance at the quadrennial showpiece in Brazil’s second Group C match over the weekend, when they beat Haiti 3-0.
The ageing veterans Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have also continued to add to their already substantial followings. Ronaldo, 41, has gained a further 1.9 million followers, while Messi has added 2.3 million.
Between them, Messi, who turns 39 on Wednesday, and Ronaldo now boast more than one billion followers on the social networking platform.
Meanwhile, Bafana Bafana return to action on Thursday in their final Group A match against South Korea.
Kick-off is staggeringly early for South African fans, who will need to be awake at 3am to catch the start of the match.
Bafana remain bottom of Group A with a goal difference of minus two. They are level on points with Czechia, who have a superior goal difference of minus one. South Korea sit second on three points, while Mexico top the group on six points.
*Instagram figures provided by MyBettingSites.co.uk.