Unusual honour for World Cup hero: New species named after goalkeeper

The strong performances of Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha at the 2026 World Cup have now earned the 40-year-old a special tribute.

The World Cup breakout star became the namesake of a newly discovered sea slug species.

Spanish marine biologist Jesús Ortea named the previously unknown species Aldisa vozinhai in his scientific work "Historias de la Bioadversidad" – roughly "Vozinha's Sea Slug" in English.

The reddish-coloured slug, measuring only about four millimetres, was discovered during research in the Caribbean off Havana (Cuba) and the island of Guadeloupe.

Honour for Strong World Cup Performances

Ortea explained that the naming was also a thank you to the people of Cape Verde. The researcher was already awarded the Environmental Merit Medal there in 2023 for his contributions to the study of marine biodiversity.

Vozinha's performances at the World Cup also gave rise to the special honour. The veteran shone in the surprising 0-0 draw against European champions Spain, where he was named Man of the Match with seven saves.

The goalkeeper also impressed in the further course of the tournament, keeping a clean sheet again against Saudi Arabia, among others, and showing another seven strong saves in the dramatic 2-3 extra-time loss against defending champions Argentina. Now, a transfer to Messi's club Inter Miami even beckons (More Info>>>).

Vozinha in the Spotlight Since 2026 World Cup

The 91-cap international also made history: at 40 years and 12 days, Vozinha was the oldest player ever to feature in his country's World Cup debut.

His performances also garnered enormous attention off the pitch – the number of his Instagram followers rose during the tournament from around 50,000 to more than 28 million.

Incidentally, it is not the first tribute to a footballer by the Spanish biologist. Already in 2019, Ortea named a newly discovered sea slug species after former Real Madrid and Costa Rica goalkeeper Keylor Navas.