A newly-discovered species of marine mollusk has been named after goalkeeper Vozinha in recognition of his contribution to Cape Verde’s historic run at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. 

The 40-year-old was one of the stars of the tournament as Cape Verde reached the round of 32 of the World Cup on their debut. 

Vozinha’s display in the country’s goalless draw against Spain powered the goalkeeper to global stardom. 

To honour Vozinha, Spanish researcher Jesús Ortea gave the newly discovered species the name Aldisa vozinhai — known in English as Vozinha’s sea slug — in his paper ‘Historias de la Bioadversidad’, published in June.

“The species is dedicated to Vozinha, goalkeeper of the Cape Verde soccer team, Spain’s first rival in the 2026 World Cup,” read a part of the published paper. 

According to the New York Times, the species is a small, four-millimetre-long sea slug with a red appearance that was unknown to scientists until Mr Ortea published his study. 

Mr Ortea is a professor of animal biology and zoology at the University of Oviedo. 

During the research, he reportedly located the species in the Caribbean near Havana, Cuba and the island of Guadeloupe. The report was released to coincide with the World Cup, including the match between Spain and Cape Verde. 

Additionally, the researcher emphasised that the decision to choose Vozinha was also a tribute to the people of Cape Verde, after the country awarded him the medal of environmental merit in 2023 for his contribution to marine biodiversity. 

“Dedicating a species of red algae to the Cape Verde national football team’s goalkeeper for his performance against La Roja is a simple tribute and a gesture of gratitude to the people of Cape Verde, where small things continue to achieve great significance.

“The author was awarded the Medal of Environmental Merit by the Government of Cape Verde on June 29, 2023, in recognition of his contributions to the study of the archipelago’s marine biodiversity,” Mr Ortea said.