Vozinha Rallies from Santiago to Claim Yashin Trophy Honor

The 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony at the London Palladium featured a nominee who had to fly in from South America with less than six hours' notice. Josimar José Évora Dias, known as Vozinha, arrived Monday night to accept a nomination for the Yashin Trophy, an award recognizing the world's best goalkeeper.

Vozinha, who is 40 years old and based in Santiago, Chile, did not play in the ceremony's main event. His nomination stemmed from his performances at the summer World Cup, where he represented Cape Verde. He kept a clean sheet against eventual champions Spain in the group stage and forced eventual finalists Argentina into extra time in the round of 32. Those two matches drove his Instagram follower count from 56,000 to 27.7 million.

The path to the stage involved a rapid transit from Chile to London. On Sunday, Vozinha played in a 1-1 draw for Colo-Colo against Palestino, making three key saves. He then flew to Madrid, where he boarded a private jet for the final leg to London. He carried his tuxedo on a hanger and arrived at the venue shortly before the show began. French Montana opened the event by performing on a double-decker bus.

The nomination serves as an acknowledgment of his late-career surge rather than a reflection of his current club form. His time at Colo-Colo has been limited, as he competes with a teenage rival for the starting position. Prior to the World Cup, he played for Chaves in Portugal's second division. His manager at Chaves, Vítor Martins, noted that Vozinha was a perfect professional until his departure.

The ceremony itself highlighted the gap between Vozinha's recent fame and his long-term standing. A video presentation of the nominees cut short before including his name. He sat in the second row, away from the aisle, anticipating that he would not be the winner. David Raya and Unai Simón were among the other goalkeepers present, with Raya viewed as the predestined winner of the Yashin Trophy.

Vozinha has acknowledged the trade-offs of his sudden celebrity. In an interview with The Observer, he stated that if offered a choice between his current life and his previous one, he would choose the past. He cited the burden of a public profile as outweighing the benefits. His Cape Verde national team has since lost two qualifying matches for the Africa Cup of Nations.

The Yashin Trophy nomination marks a specific peak in Vozinha's career. He will return to Chile for the remainder of the season. His World Cup run ended after the loss to Argentina, but the two clean sheet performances against top-tier opponents remain the defining moment of his tenure in international football.