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SportsCape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha honored with newly discovered sea slug species named after him
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Cape Verde's 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha, who became the oldest player to debut in a World Cup match and gained 28.5 million Instagram followers after standout performances including a clean sheet against Spain, has been honored by Spanish researcher Jesus Ortea. Ortea named a newly discovered species of marine mollusk (a small red sea slug about 4mm) Aldisa vozinhai, or 'Vozinha's sea slug,' found near Havana, Cuba and Guadeloupe. The naming recognizes Vozinha's World Cup heroics and Ortea's gratitude to Cape Verde, where he received the Medal of Environmental Merit in 2023. This is Ortea's second such honor for a footballer, having previously named a species after Costa Rican goalkeeper Keylor Navas in 2019. Vozinha's career spans clubs in Cape Verde, Moldova, Slovakia, Cyprus, and Portugal, with 91 international caps.
Source report
A new species of marine mollusk discovered in the Caribbean has been named after Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha, following his standout performances at this summer’s World Cup.
The 40-year-old shot-stopper was honored by Spanish researcher Jesús Ortea in his published work Historias de la Bioadversidad (translated as Biodiversity Stories). Ortea discovered a small sea slug of red appearance, approximately four millimeters in size, previously unknown to science, and named it Aldisa vozinhai — in English, “Vozinha’s sea slug.”
The species was found near Havana, Cuba, and the island of Guadeloupe during Ortea’s research. The publication was timed to coincide with the World Cup, including Vozinha’s man-of-the-match performance in Cape Verde’s surprise 0–0 opening draw against European champions Spain, where he made seven crucial saves.
Why Vozinha?
Ortea stated that naming the species after Vozinha was his way of thanking the people of Cape Verde. The researcher was awarded the Medal of Environmental Merit by the nation in 2023, in recognition of his contributions to the study of marine biodiversity in the archipelago.
This is not the first time Ortea, a professor of Animal Biology and Zoology at the University of Oviedo, has named a newly discovered species after a footballer. In 2019, he named a species of tiny marine sea snail after Keylor Navas, the former Real Madrid and Costa Rica goalkeeper.
Vozinha’s World Cup Journey
- Became the oldest player to appear in a nation’s debut World Cup match, at 40 years and 12 days old.
- Played in all four of Cape Verde’s tournament matches.
- Kept a clean sheet against Saudi Arabia as Cape Verde advanced to the last 32.
- Impressed in a 3–2 extra-time loss to defending champions Argentina, making seven saves.
Social Media Surge
Vozinha’s Instagram account had 50,000 followers before the World Cup. At the time of writing, that number has grown to 28.5 million.
Career Background
Vozinha’s two-decade career includes club spells in:
- Cape Verde
- Moldova
- Slovakia
- Cyprus
- Portugal
He is a 91-time Cape Verde international.
Reporting by Colin Millar
Source
Soccer - The AthleticWestern
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Sea slug species named after Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha for World Cup heroics