SNS followers surged from 50,000 to 6 million—a 120-fold increase—after Cape Verde's goalkeeper, who humiliated Spain, experienced a life-changing turnaround.

*This content was translated by AI.

Cape Verde national team goalkeeper Bozhani (40, Chaves), who delivered a scoreless series of saves against Spain, a "favorite to win," at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, has truly become a global star.

According to the transfer specialist site Transfermarkt on the 16th (Korean time), his social media (SNS) follower count, which stood at 50,000 ahead of the Spain match, began to surge immediately after the game and has now exceeded 6 million. Just one World Cup match resulted in his SNS followers increasing by more than 120 times. The upward trend in followers continues, now approaching 7 million.

Bozhani's explosive popularity is due to the touching series of saves he displayed in the Group H opener against Spain at the North American World Cup held at Atlanta Stadium in the United States on that day.

Cape Verde, a small African nation with a population of about 500,000, made its World Cup debut at this tournament, and the match against Spain was also its World Cup debut. With a FIFA ranking of 67th, it trailed Spain (ranked 2nd) by a staggering 65 spots. Moreover, Spain was considered the most likely champion of this tournament.

However, Bozhani, who guarded Cape Verde's goal, blocked every shot from the opponent throughout the match. His official save count reached a remarkable 7, with 6 of those being spectacular saves that stopped shots inside the penalty box. Ultimately, the match ended in a 0-0 draw. This was the biggest surprise of the tournament, as the team making its World Cup debut stopped the legs of the tournament favorite.

When the final whistle blew, Bozhani shed hot tears on the field. The goalkeeper, who stunned the world and dealt a blow to the Spanish national team, drew even more global attention upon learning that he is a veteran born in 1986, just before retirement. This interest led to an explosive increase in his SNS follower count.

In a post-match press conference following the Spain game, Bozhani said, "Not only I, but all our players and the people of Cape Verde must feel proud and happy. We worked very hard to get to this point. My mother was disappointed she couldn't be here. I dedicate this glory to the people of Cape Verde."

On that day, Bozhani received a rating of 9 from the football statistics platform, earning the highest score of the match. The Spanish outlet Marca also awarded Bozhani, the opposing player, three stars (★) out of a possible maximum, applauding his performance that day. Transfermarkt, a transfer specialist site, highlighted, "After an unbelievable performance on the world's biggest stage, Bozhani's SNS followers, which were only 50,000, surged to 6 million. It is truly an amazing story. Moments like these are ultimately the reason why we must love the World Cup."

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*This content was translated by AI.