Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha seeks new club after World Cup stardom, doesn't rule out Brazil move

Vozinha, one of the sensations of the World Cup, is looking for a new club.

And the 40-year-old Cape Verde goalkeeper hasn't ruled out playing in Brazil, where fans helped him reach immediate stardom on social media.

Vozinha said in an interview with Brazilian journalist and influencer Daniel Braune that his contract with second-division Portuguese club Chaves has ended and he wants to keep playing and is keen on finding a new team following his success in the tournament in the U.S., Mexico and Canada.

Vozinha attracted the attention of the soccer world after an outstanding performance in Cape Verde's 0-0 draw with European champion Spain in their opener on June 15. Cape Verde then drew 2-2 with Uruguay, one of South America's soccer powerhouses.

“I ended my contract with my previous club, Deportivo Chaves, and at the moment I still don't have anything,” he said. “I'm open to everything. Let's see what comes up.”

Vozinha said he wouldn't mind playing in Brazil, the country where another influencer, Casimiro Miguel, known as Cazé, helped him go from about 50,000 Instagram followers to nearly 16 million by promoting the goalkeeper's account.

“It would be good,” Vozinha said, smiling, in the interview published in Braune’s YouTube channel. “We’ll see.”

Vozinha said he definitely wants to try to make it to Brazil, at least to visit.

“If I have the opportunity, I'd like to go, also to thank everyone for all of their support," he said. "And I think that many of my teammates want to go as well.”

Vozinha said he spent time in Brazil when his former team in Angola, Progresso do Sambizanga, did its preseason in the country.

He said his idols while growing up included Belgian goalkeeper Michel Preud'homme, Dutchman Edwin van der Sar and Gianluigi Buffon of Italy.

His dream right now is to help Cape Verde — competing in the World Cup for the first time — advance from the group stage.

A win over Saudi Arabia on Friday in Houston will be enough to secure the team a spot in the round of 32, which would spark renewed celebrations in the nation of about half a million people off Africa’s West coast.

“My dream, and the dream of all Cape Verdeans, is to reach the next round,” he said. “It's huge just to be in the World Cup, and to advance when no one thought that we could even get a point, would be extraordinary.”

AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup

Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha, center, celebrates at the end of the World Cup Group H soccer match between Uruguay and Cape Verde in Miami Gardens, Fla., Sunday, June 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha, right, and teammates wave to supporters following the World Cup Group H soccer match between Uruguay and Cape Verde in Miami Gardens, Fla., Sunday, June 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha (1) dive stopped take the ball during the World Cup Group H soccer match between Uruguay and Cape Verde in Miami Gardens, Fla., Sunday, June 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha waves to supporters following the World Cup Group H soccer match between Uruguay and Cape Verde in Miami Gardens, Fla., Sunday, June 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

FRISCO, Texas (AP) — No, a storm didn't roll through Sweden's base camp at the World Cup. It's just a home renovation.

The Swedes were taken by surprise seeing mangled metal and other demolished construction material on one side of Toyota Stadium — the home of MLS team FC Dallas — during their training session Wednesday night.

“I just thought, ‘what happened?’ As far as I knew there hadn’t been any storm,” Sweden midfielder Besfort Zeneli told Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet.

That scheduled work, done earlier in the day before Sweden's session, is part of a years-long renovation project at the stadium.

That area has been blocked off since before Sweden started using the stadium as its base camp after arriving in the United States in early June. The construction has had no impact on the pitch or any facilities being used by the team in Frisco, Texas, about 30 miles north of downtown Dallas.

Still, that very visible demolition from the latest work caught some players by surprise when they arrived for training ahead of their final Group F match against Japan.

FC Dallas said in a statement Thursday that the work “was part of a planned and controlled demolition within an active construction zone. The work was conducted using a pull-down demolition method and did not involve explosives.”

No one was injured.

The renovation project, being done in phases, began in early 2025 with full completion expected before the start of the 2028 MLS season. FC Dallas is still playing regular-season games there during the renovation.

See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

Demolition is visible to the stands at Toyota Stadium, home of MLS soccer's FC Dallas, as Sweden players participate in a training session ahead of their World Cup Group F soccer match against Japan, Wednesday, June 24, 2026, in Frisco, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Demolition is visible to the stands at Toyota Stadium, home of MLS soccer's FC Dallas, as Sweden players participate in a training session ahead of their World Cup Group F soccer match against Japan, Wednesday, June 24, 2026, in Frisco, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Sweden goalkeeper Kristoffer Nordfeldt, left, and Sweden goalkeeper Viktor Johansson participate in a training session ahead of their World Cup Group F soccer match against Japan, Wednesday, June 24, 2026, in Frisco, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Demolition is visible to the stands at Toyota Stadium, home of MLS soccer's FC Dallas, as Sweden's Taha Ali, far right, tries to get to his head on the ball during a a training session ahead of Sweden's World Cup Group F soccer match against Japan, Wednesday, June 24, 2026, in Frisco, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)