A newly discovered species of sea snail has been named Aldisa vozinha in honor of Cape Verde's World Cup goalkeeper Vozinha. The small red mollusc was identified by biologist Jesus Ortea in the Caribbean, who chose to name it after the 40-year-old player.
Vozinha gained international recognition for his performances during Cape Verde's World Cup campaign, where the nation reached the knockout stage before a narrow defeat to Argentina. During the group stage, Vozinha was instrumental in securing Cape Verde's first World Cup point with a goalless draw against Spain.
Ortea, a professor emeritus at the University of Oviedo, stated in his report that he wished to commemorate Vozinha's "prominent role" in the match against Spain, a team nicknamed "La Roja" or "The Red One." The report noted that the red coloration of the newly named species serves as a reminder of this achievement.
Vozinha's popularity surged following the Spain match, with his Instagram following expanding from 50,000 to over 17 million. This honor follows Ortea's previous practice of naming species after football figures, including former goalkeepers Keylor Navas and a player known as Quini, whose associated species shared colors with his former club.
Ortea received a Medal of Merit from Cape Verde in 2023 for his contributions to studying the waters around the island nation.