Cabo Verde goalkeeper Vozinha becomes world’s most-followed goalkeeper on Instagram, surpasses Thibaut Courtois

Cabo Verde’s FIFA World Cup debut have sparked interest on the pitch, but custodian Vozinha has become an even bigger sensation off it. The veteran shot-stopper has officially become the world’s most-followed custodian on Instagram, surpassing Belgian star Thibaut Courtois following a remarkable rise in popularity.

At the start of the World Cup, Vozinha had only 50,000 Instagram followers. In just a few weeks, that figure has skyrocketed to 20.6 million, making him one of the tournament’s most popular social media stars.

The rate at which he has grown adds to the extraordinaryness of his achievement. The custodian reportedly gained nearly three million followers in the last 24 hours, demonstrating the enormous global attention he has received throughout the competition.

Vozinha’s rise has been fuelled by Cabo Verde’s impressive World Cup run, with fans all over the world taking note of his performances and charismatic personality. As the island nation continued to outperform expectations on football’s biggest stage, the custodian became one of the tournament’s most talked-about figures.

With an unprecedented surge in followers, Vozinha has surpassed Real Madrid and Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois to become the world’s most followed goalkeeper on Instagram—a feat few could have predicted before the tournament began.

The achievement has sparked widespread discussion on social media, with football fans praising the dramatic rise of a player who was relatively unknown to many international audiences before the World Cup. Many have cited his social media growth as one of the tournament’s biggest success stories, demonstrating that exceptional performances on the pitch can quickly translate into global popularity online.

As the World Cup progresses, Vozinha’s influence grows far beyond the goalposts. While his heroics have earned him praise from football fans, his meteoric rise on Instagram has cemented his place as one of the 2026 FIFA World Cup’s breakout stars, both on and off the pitch.