Cape Verde stole the spotlight at the past World Cup, following their historic journey under coach Bubista, which ended against the then-defending champions Argentina in a memorable match. However, it seems that the situation for Cape Verde's stars has changed significantly after their World Cup participation.
The beginning was with coach Pedro Leitão Brito, known as Bubista, who left his role leading the Cape Verde national team after a historic journey he started with the "Blue Sharks" squad in 2020.
The 56-year-old coach made history by leading Cape Verde to qualify for the World Cup finals for the first time in their history in the 2026 edition, then guided the team, participating in the tournament for the first time, to the knockout stages without suffering any defeat in the group stage.
Cape Verde exited the World Cup from the Round of 32, at the hands of Argentina, with a score of 3-2, after the match went into two extra periods, ending Bubista, Africa's best coach of 2025, his tenure with the national team with an immortal memory.
Bubista moved on to manage Moroccan club Renaissance de Berkane on a two-year contract starting last August, and then signed Cape Verde captain Ryan Mendes during the summer transfer window.
The most prominent hero of Cape Verde's journey was veteran goalkeeper Vozinha, who became one of the most famous goalkeepers during the World Cup, after shining in several matches, most notably against Spain, who later won the title.
The number of followers of Cape Verde goalkeeper Josimar Dias rose from 56 thousand to 28 million on Instagram, but it seems Vozinha was not happy with the same fame and the buzz surrounding him.
The Cape Verde goalkeeper said in statements to The Observer newspaper: "I have lost my calm and comfort, I no longer have any privacy, or at least it has become much less than before, and this is the thing that has changed most in my life, and I don't think I can do anything about it. If I were offered the life I live today or my previous life, I would choose the old life."
On the other hand, the positive step in Vozinha's journey was moving to Chilean club Colo-Colo, where he started his career with the team as a substitute, but soon entered the starting lineup, and kept clean sheets in the last two matches before the international break. Despite having considered retirement before, he might prefer to continue until the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
Vozinha was not the only Cape Verde star who wrote his name in gold letters in World Cup history; his teammate Sidney Lopes Cabral also succeeded in scoring a historic goal against Argentina.
In extra time, with the score showing the Tango army leading 2-1, Sidney Cabral sprinted from the left flank, then cut inside and unleashed a stunning shot that settled in the top corner of the net, leading to the goal being later chosen as the best goal of the World Cup.
Some expected a major move for the Cape Verde star after this mark, and indeed he took a new step in his career, transferring to Trabzonspor, to join Egyptian star Mohamed Salah.
Cabral's start there was not easy despite playing regularly as a starter, but he was sent off in the Europa League qualifiers against Ferencvárosi at the end of August, and since then his role has been limited to coming on as a substitute.
