Defeated but uplifted, 'Vozinha' reveals Lionel Messi's words after the 2026 World Cup match where Cape Verde lost to Argentina.
On 4 July 2026, Vozinha, goalkeeper for Cape Verde's national team, gave an interview after their 2026 World Cup round of 32 match where they impressively lost 2-3 in extra time to defending champions Argentina, after a 1-1 draw in regular time.
Although eliminated, Cape Verde won the hearts of the world by reaching the World Cup finals for the first time and remaining unbeaten in regular 90-minute play across all four tournament matches (group stage draws against Spain 0-0, Uruguay 2-2, and Saudi Arabia 0-0), despite having a national population under 530,000—smaller than Chanthaburi Province in Thailand.
Vozinha revealed he spoke with Lionel Messi, Argentina's star who scored one goal in the match. The Cape Verde goalkeeper, who made 8 saves in this game, said, "After the match, I approached Messi. He hugged me and said, 'You were amazing. Your country should be proud of you.'"
"That meant a great deal to me. Hearing such words from someone like Leo Messi was very meaningful. I thanked him, saying, 'Thank you, Leo. You are the best.'"
"Then I asked if we could exchange jerseys, and Leo said he would bring his shirt to me at the players' tunnel after his interview."
In the 2026 World Cup round of 16, Lionel Messi's Argentina will face Egypt, led by Mohamed Salah. The match will be broadcast on Thairath TV Channel 32 and the Monomax app on Tuesday, 7 July at 23:00.
