Vozinha’s massive salary raise with Colo-Colo: How a historic World Cup run turned into a huge contract
One of the stars of this summer’s World Cup, the 40-year-old goalkeeper is set for a significant pay bump at his new club.
Goalkeeper Vozinha is set to be rewarded for his World Cup heroics with a bumper pay rise, after the 40-year-old agreed a move to Chilean club Colo-Colo.
“Going to be a Colo-Colo player”
This week, Colo-Colo president Aníbal Mosa confirmed that a deal is in place to sign Vozinha, who was one of the stars of Cape Verde’s surprise run to the knockout stages at this summer’s tournament.
“We have an agreement,” Mosa told reporters on Friday. “We’re still ironing out the final details, but we have confirmation from [Vozinha’s] camp and from his agent.
“Vozinha is going to be a Colo-Colo player. In the coming days, he’s going to travel to Chile to undergo the necessary medical examinations and then he’ll be unveiled at the Estadio Monumental.”
Ahead of the transfer’s expected completion, Colo-Colo trailed Vozinha’s arrival on social media on Friday, posting a photo seemingly depicting the player’s forehead and distinctive curly hair. Above the image, the 34-time Chilean champions wrote: “Bienvenido, Welcome, Bem-Vindo. We’re waiting for you at the Estadio Monumental.”
How much will Vozinha earn at Colo-Colo?
According to reports in the Chilean media, Vozinha is poised to sign an initial six-month contract, with the option of a further year. A free agent since the end of June, the veteran is expected to secure a salary several times larger than his pay packet at his former club, the Portuguese second-tier team Chaves.
Per the Chilean outlet El Deportivo, Vozinha’s contract will be worth around $500,000 if he completes the full year and a half on his mooted Colo-Colo deal. That works out at around $27,000 per month - nearly three times the $10,000 monthly wage that he reportedly pocketed at Chaves.
A World Cup sensation
A player whose journeyman career has not only taken him to clubs in Portugal, but also witnessed spells in Angola, Cyprus, Moldova and Slovakia, Vozinha shot to soccer stardom at the 2026 World Cup.
The custodian kept two clean sheets in Cape Verde’s three group-stage games in North America, as the Blue Sharks became the smallest nation ever to reach the knockout stages of a men’s World Cup. Vozinha’s stellar showings included a headline-grabbing shutout in a goalless opening draw with Spain, the tournament’s eventual winners.
After progressing from Group H, the Cape Verdeans then threatened to pull off a historic World Cup shock in the round of 32, taking defending champions Argentina to extra time in Miami. In one of the games of the tournament, the Albiceleste required an 111th-minute winner to edge to a 3-2 win.
Voted by soccer fans into FIFA’s ‘Dream XI’ for the 2026 World Cup, Vozinha not only appears to have secured a significant salary hike, but has also multiplied his social-media following. Having begun this summer’s finals with around 50,000 followers on his Instagram account, he has now seen that number rocket to nearly 30 million.
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