A new species of sea mollusk has been named after goalkeeper Vozinha following his performances for the Cape Verde national team at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. This is reported by BBC Sport, UNN reports.
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"After goalkeeper Vozinha gained worldwide recognition for his performances for the Cape Verde national team at the World Cup, he received another honor - a newly discovered species of sea slug was named after him," the publication writes.
This small red mollusk was discovered by biologist Jesus Ortea in the Caribbean basin, and he decided to name it after the 40-year-old star who became the hero of this tiny country's performance. It is now called Aldisa vozinha.
Cape Verde is the second smallest country ever to reach the final stage of the World Cup. After advancing through the group stage, the team gave the reigning champions, Argentina, a tough fight until they were eliminated from the tournament following a 3-2 defeat in extra time in the Round of 16.
Before that, Vozinha's heroic actions helped the team earn its first World Cup point in a draw match against the European champions, Spain.
In the report describing his discovery, Ortea noted that he wanted to highlight Vozinha's "outstanding role," and also emphasized that this occurred precisely in the match against Spain.
The publication also notes that this is not the first time Ortea has named his discoveries after football players. Previously, he named a discovery made in Costa Rica after Keylor Navas, the former goalkeeper of that country, who also played for Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, and Nottingham Forest.
And a tiny creature that had the same colors as the Spanish club Sporting Gijón was named after the club's former forward Quini.
Cape Verde creates a sensation in match against Spain at the 2026 World Cup15.06.26, 22:50