Vozinha earns Goalkeeper of the Year nomination at Ballon d'Or

Vozinha's fairytale year continued on Tuesday, Sept. 8 as he was nominated for the men's Goalkeeper of the Year award at the 2026 Ballon d'Or. The 40-year-old became a household name with his heroics for Cape Verde at the 2026 World Cup, most memorably in a 0-0 draw with eventual champion Spain to k

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Vozinha's fairytale year continued on Tuesday, Sept. 8 as he was nominated for the men's Goalkeeper of the Year award at the 2026 Ballon d'Or.

The 40-year-old became a household name with his heroics for Cape Verde at the 2026 World Cup, most memorably in a 0-0 draw with eventual champion Spain to kick off the tournament.

Cape Verde made it past the group stage in the country's first World Cup, losing to Argentina in an epic round of 32 match.

Vozinha was a relative unknown name leading into the World Cup, but famously boosted his Instagram following from less than 100,000 to nearly 30 million as the tournament went on.

After a club career that has seen stops in Portugal, Cyprus and Slovakia, Vozinha signed with Chilean powerhouse Colo-Colo after

the World Cup.

Vozinha is unlikely to actually win the Goalkeeper of the Year award at the Ballon d'Or ceremony in London on Oct. 26, but his nomination is still an achievement he could have only dreamed of at the beginning of 2026.

Among the other nominees are three Spanish goalkeepers, including World Cup Golden Glove winner Unai Simon.

Below is a full list of the nominees.