There are people in the world who strive to be famous. There are different ways to achieve this. While most can cope with the constant attention; there are those who learn that the grass isn't always greener and regret the limelight that they got.
One such person is Cape Verde goalkeeper, Josimar José Évora Dias. He is commonly known by the nickname, Vozinha.
Before this summer's tournament, Vozinha was a veteran shot-stopper who had played in Angola; Moldova; Portugal and Cyprus.
Thanks to his exploits with Cape Verde in North America against the juggernauts of international football; the 40-year-old has become one of the most recognisable names in the game.
Viral World Cup goalkeeper Vozinha has revealed he is struggling with his newfound fame; saying that he would like to go back to a time before he was so well-known.
The Cape Verde goalkeeper shot to stardom in his nation's first ever World Cup game in June when he made seven saves and kept a clean sheet against eventual world champions Spain.
In the days after the game, he saw his Instagram follower count multiply by 250; from 56 000 to 14 million.
Having since been nominated for the men's Goalkeeper of the Year award at the 2026 Ballon d'Or, he now has more than 28 million followers.
"I never imagined it could happen," he said about the award. "It was unthinkable, but I’m grateful to those who thought of me. Just being on that list is already a great honour."
Vozinha's first real moment of recognition came in Cape Verde's opening game at the 2026 World Cup.
The keeper put in an inspired performance as the African minnows held eventual winners Spain to a 0-0 draw in Atlanta.
Vozinha's display in goal left him in tears as he left the pitch following a performance with which he wrote himself into the tournament's folklore.
In Cape Verde's following two group games, they recorded two further draws to book their spot in the knockout round for the first time in the country's history.
They would eventually be eliminated by Argentina in the Round of 32 but only after taking the then-reigning champions to extra-time.
This new limelight for Vozinha does have its positives - his mother was able to secure a visa to watch his second game at the tournament after saying she had been unable to - but he admits he still struggles with the attention.
"I've lost my peace and tranquillity," the 40-year-old told The Observer. "I no longer have any privacy, or at least much less than I used to.
"Now I go out, I go to a restaurant, and there's always someone who wants to take a photo with me or asks me for an autograph. Or, worse, someone is filming me.
That's what has changed most in my life, and I don't think there's anything I can do about it."
He added: "A lot of people want to be famous and have a public profile, but they only see the positive side of that reality.
"To be honest, if I were offered the life I have today or the life I had before, I'd choose the one I had before."
Vozinha added that supporters now turn up at his mother's home in Cape Verde every day, aying: "I'm not there so I can't help them [his parents]. They have to learn with the situation and set boundaries."
He added: "A lot of people want to be famous and have a public profile but they only see the positive side of that reality. To be honest, if I were offered the life I have today or the life I had before, I'd choose the one I had before."
Vozinha added that supporters now turn up at his mother's home in Cape Verde every day, saying: "I'm not there so I can't help them [his parents]. They have to learn with the situation and set boundaries."
His efforts in North America have helped put Cape Verde on the football map; although he stresses it was a "collective effort."
"It's nice to feel like a kind of ambassador but I want to make it clear that what we achieved was a collective effort," Vozinha said.
"We made history and the best news would be if we could harness that momentum to develop our country and improve the living conditions of our people."
While he had previously intended to retire from international football after the World Cup, Vozinha, instead, decided to delay hanging up his goalkeeping gloves.
Heading onto the field, Rwanda produced a resilient comeback away from home to claim a 2-1 victory over Cape Verde in their Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on Tuesday. A decisive goalkeeping mistake from the veteran shot-stopper gifted the visitors their winning goal in Praia; leaving the Blue Sharks rooted to the bottom of Group K without a single point after two matches.
A calamitous error from Vozinha gifted Rwanda a decisive second-half winner to complete a spirited 2-1 turnaround in Praia. Cape Verde had initially enjoyed a dream start when Gilson Benchimol struck inside five minutes.
However, the visitors drew level on the stroke of half-time through Claude Niyomugabo before Elie Iradukunda pounced on the goalkeeper, flapping at a cross to tap into an empty net.
Consecutive qualifying reverses leave the islanders bottom of Group K with zero points and their continental ambitions hanging by a thread. The contrast could hardly be greater for high-flying Rwanda, who seized outright control of the section by following up a win over Liberia with this hard-fought comeback in Praia.
Cape Verde now face an unforgiving margin for error; where only a flawless finish across their final fixtures will keep their faint qualification hopes alive.
Unfortunately, not everyone can handle the spotlight. A simple taste can be intoxicating. Later exposure can be disastrous. That's the difference between expected and unexpected fame.
Those who expected to be famous can handle the pressures of it. The unexpected will struggle with it. The best remedy is to do ample preparations for the upcoming limelight.
There's no point in not doing the above. One can always prepare for it when they know that the attention is inevitable.