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SportsCape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha honored with newly discovered sea slug species named after him
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A new species of marine mollusk discovered in the Caribbean has been named Aldisa vozinhai (Vozinha's sea slug) after Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha, who was a standout performer in the 2026 World Cup. Spanish researcher Jesus Ortea, a professor at the University of Oviedo, named the small red sea slug (about 4mm) found near Havana, Cuba and Guadeloupe. The naming honors Vozinha's man-of-the-match performance in Cape Verde's 0-0 draw against Spain, where he made seven saves. Ortea previously named a species after Keylor Navas in 2019. Vozinha, 40, became the oldest player to debut in a World Cup match and saw his Instagram followers grow from 50,000 to 28.5 million during the tournament. He played in all four of Cape Verde's matches, including a clean sheet against Saudi Arabia and a 3-2 extra-time loss to defending champions Argentina.
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A new species of marine mollusk discovered in the Caribbean has been named after the 40-year-old goalkeeper. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
By Colin Millar July 10, 2026 Updated
Vozinha was one of the standout performers in this summer's World Cup, and now the Cape Verde goalkeeper has been recognized by having a newly discovered species named in his honor.
A new species of marine mollusk has been named after the 40-year-old by Spanish researcher Jesus Ortea in his published work Historias de la Bioadversidad (translated into English as Biodiversity Stories).
Ortea discovered the new species — a small sea slug of red appearance, approximately four millimeters in size, previously unknown to science — and has named it Aldisa vozinhai (in English, Vozinha's sea slug).
The species was discovered in the Caribbean near Havana, Cuba, and the island of Guadeloupe during Ortea's research. His work was published 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.
What You Should Read Next: Meet Vozinha, the 40-year-old Cape Verde hero who almost quit before the World Cup — Man of the match against Spain, this was a crowning moment for a goalkeeper who already holds legendary status back home.
Ortea underlined that his choice of name was his way of thanking the people of Cape Verde, a nation where he was awarded the Medal of Environmental Merit in 2023, recognizing his contributions to the study of Marine Biodiversity on 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, his discovery of a species of tiny marine sea snail led him to name them after Keylor Navas, the former goalkeeper of Real Madrid and Costa Rica.
Vozinha, whose two-decade career has included spells at club teams in Cape Verde, Moldova, Slovakia, Cyprus, and Portugal, became the oldest player to make an appearance in a nation's debut World Cup game at the age of 40 years and 12 days old.
The 91-time Cape Verde international has gained significant traction since his tournament debut. His Instagram account had 50,000 followers before the match but, at the time of writing, has grown to 28.5 million.
Vozinha played in each of Cape Verde's remaining three games at the tournament, including keeping another clean sheet against Saudi Arabia as the archipelagic country advanced to the last 32 stage.
The goalkeeper once again impressed in Cape Verde's 3-2 extra-time loss to defending champions Argentina, a match in which he made seven saves.
Source
Soccer - The AthleticWestern
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Sea slug species named after Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha for World Cup heroics