Cape Verde’s goalie Vozinha was one of the breakout stars of the 2026 World Cup. He kept a clean sheet against Spain, then went one better in the Round of 32 against Argentina, saving Lionel Messi’s free kick not once but twice on the way to a 3-2 extra-time loss. That kind of tournament made the 40-year-old an overnight star, and the interest that followed seems to be turning into something real. Inter Miami, the MLS franchise co-owned by David Beckham, is reportedly looking to sign him.

“Inter Miami are interested in signing Cape Verde keeper Vozinha. Vozinha is currently a free agent,” Polymarket Sports shared via X.

Should it happen, Vozinha’s brush with Messi on the pitch could turn into a shared locker room. And Vozinha hasn’t shied away from sharing his admiration for the Argentine Footballer — even after Cape Verde’s loss to Argentina in Miami on July 3.

“I went up to Messi after the game. He hugged me and said, You are great. Your people should be proud of you,” Vozinha said after the game. “That was incredible for me. Hearing words like that from someone like Leo Messi means a lot to me. I thanked him and said, ‘Thank you, Leo. You are the best.’ Then I asked if we could swap shirts. Leo said he would give it to me in the tunnels after the interview.”

Vozinha’s contract with Portugal’s second-division G.D. Chaves expired on June 30, days before the World Cup began, leaving him a free agent with no transfer fee attached. That’s fueled interest beyond Miami. Transfer insider Fabrizio Romano reported Brazilian clubs Avaí and Atlético Goianiense have already contacted his representatives, with several other Brazilian sides also monitoring the situation.

But Vozinha had made his priorities clear long before any of this. “I hope one day to play against Messi, because for me he is an exceptional player, and I believe there are many people who share this admiration with me,” he said after Cape Verde secured its maiden World Cup berth. That wish came true in Miami. Whether it becomes a shared jersey and whether he’d choose a starting role in Brazil over a likely backup spot behind Inter Miami’s current goalkeeper, Dayne St. Clair, remains an open question.

That said, Cape Verde’s run through this World Cup belonged to Vozinha, who made 18 saves across four matches for a 78.3% save rate on 74 shots faced. But the numbers only tell half the story. He’d started the tournament with around 50,000 Instagram followers, and within 24 hours of the Spain result, that number had jumped to nearly 14 million. It hasn’t stopped climbing since, sitting past 23.8 million now.

For Inter Miami, still building depth after winning its first-ever MLS Cup in December 2025, signing a fee-free goalkeeper with over 20 million social media followers will be as much a brand decision as a football one.