世界杯故事：四十岁守门员一晚涨粉几百万

Today let's talk about a very interesting World Cup story.

This story isn't about which team won, but about one person.

This person is a goalkeeper.

A goalkeeper is the person who stands in front of the goal and blocks the ball.

He comes from a very small country called Cape Verde.

Cape Verde is a small African island with very few people.

This was Cape Verde's first time playing at a World Cup.

At the World Cup, Cape Verde had to play Spain.

Spain is one of the strongest teams in the world.

Almost everyone thought Cape Verde would lose badly.

But the result of the match surprised everyone.

Cape Verde's goalkeeper is named Vozinha.

He is already forty years old this year.

For a player, forty really isn't young.

Many players have long stopped playing by this age.

But Vozinha is different — he's still on the pitch, and in great form.

Vozinha's story is special too.

He has played for many years, but was never very famous.

He played in small places, living a very ordinary life.

Many people never expected he'd play this well at a World Cup.

When the match began, Spain attacked the whole time.

They had the ball for long spells, pinning Cape Verde back.

They shot once, twice, three times, many, many times.

Each time, everyone thought the ball was going in.

But each time, Vozinha blocked the ball.

He dove left, he dove right, blocking one hard shot after another.

Over the whole match, he blocked seven dangerous shots in all.

Because of him alone, Spain couldn't score a single goal.

In the end, the match was nil-nil.

Tiny Cape Verde, against all odds, didn't lose to powerful Spain.

After the match ended, the truly amazing thing began.

Many people watched this match online.

Everyone was captivated by this forty-year-old goalkeeper.

People began searching his name online and following him.

People who follow someone online, we call "fans."

Many people online also shared videos of his saves with friends.

And so, more and more people came to know him.

Before the match, Vozinha had few fans — only about 50,000.

50,000 sounds like a lot, but for a football star, it isn't many.

But after this match, everything completely changed.

In just one day, he gained a few million fans.

His fan count quickly passed nine million.

Some said he had more fans than some very famous football stars.

A goalkeeper almost no one knew became an online superstar in an instant.

All of this took just one match, one night.

Vozinha himself probably couldn't even take it in.

Yesterday, he was an ordinary old keeper.

Today, the whole world is saying his name.

Why do people like him so much?

I think it's because this story is so moving.

A forty-year-old man, from a small island, with no fame.

Yet through his own effort, he kept out the strongest team in the world.

He made everyone understand: being older doesn't mean you can't do it.

Coming from a small place, you can still do great things.

Many ordinary people saw themselves in him.

They felt: if he can do it, then I can too.

Many people also said the way he kept goal was really moving.

A forty-year-old still battling for his country — that's remarkable.

Actually, this is the best thing about the World Cup.

It's not only a stage for strong teams.

It also gives people like Vozinha a chance to be seen.

One night, a few million fans — this is a true story.

And it's one of the most heartwarming stories of this World Cup.

Of course, for Vozinha, how many fans he has may not be what matters most.

What matters most is that he proved himself on the biggest stage.

No matter what comes next, he'll remember this match for a lifetime.

Alright, that's it for Vozinha's story.

Thank you for listening — see you next time.