San Antonio Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama can’t seem to catch a break.
Less than 48 hours after seeing his NBA championship dreams crushed by the New York Knicks, the 7-foot-5 phenom unexpectedly found himself at the center of a cross-sports debate.
Not because of anything he did on a basketball court, but because Cape Verde — a nation of just over 500,000 people — and its 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha held European champions Spain to a stunning 0-0 draw in their FIFA World Cup debut.
Why Victor Wembanyama Was Suddenly Dragged Into a Debate During The FIFA World Cup
Just days ago, Wembanyama signed off from his postgame NBA Finals press conference by telling reporters: “Appreciate y’all. See you… never.”
The French superstar was likely translating the poetic French phrase “À jamais” a little too literally, but regardless, he has somehow found himself back in the conversation.
A viral X post compared Wembanyama’s Instagram following to that of Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha (relatively unknown before the World Cup) following the nation’s memorable goalless draw against Spain.
“Yeah man basketball clout actually can’t compare to football clout,” the post read. “What do you mean some 40-year-old Cape Verde goalkeeper gained the same amount of followers after a 0-0 as basketball’s current biggest star?”
Yeah man basketball clout actually can’t compare to football clout.
What do you mean some 40 year old Cape Verde goalkeeper gained the same amount of followers after a 0-0 as basketball’s current biggest star. pic.twitter.com/nvfKtJ0A0R
— E (@Ellis_) June 16, 2026
Wembanyama currently has around 6.2 million followers on Instagram, an impressive number for any NBA player. But would you believe it if you knew Vozinha, whose full name is Josimar Dias, had just 50,000 followers before the kickoff against Spain?
Within hours of the final whistle, that figure exploded over the one-million mark. Much of the rise was fueled by Brazilian broadcaster CazéTV, whose pundits urged viewers to follow the goalkeeper on Instagram after his remarkable first-half display against the Spaniards.
Within hours, the 40-year-old had crossed the one-million mark. Then two million. By the following day, his follower count had soared past Wembanyama’s altogether.
At the time of writing, Vozinha sits at more than 8.3 million Instagram followers and rising. Fingers crossed.
NBA analyst Mo Mooncey summed up the shock many felt in just one word.
“Mental 😭,” he wrote.
Mental 😭 https://t.co/BBvUfdJeHg
— Mo Mooncey (@TheHoopGenius) June 16, 2026
“Americans really don’t understand how big football is,” a fan commented, pointing at soccer’s global popularity.
Not everyone agreed that follower counts alone should determine who is the bigger star, however. “A Honda may be one of the most popular cars to own, doesn’t make it a Ferrari,” another user wrote.
One NBA fan pointed out that Wembanyama may not even be the “biggest star” in basketball while LeBron James is still active.
“Not arguing your point cuz obviously soccer/football is the biggest sport in the world BUT LeBron James is still the biggest star in the NBA lmao,” the fan wrote. “When his team was in the playoffs, he had every primetime game. He’s still the ‘sun’ in the NBA until he retires.”
SIMULATE THE WORLD CUP: PFN’s FREE FIFA World Cup Simulator
Regardless of where you stand in the debate, Vozinha’s rise to stardom, Japanese fans embracing Texas culture, and Americans adapting to soccer’s month-long takeover of home soil have already produced plenty of memorable moments, and we can expect more in the coming weeks.
Somehow, Wembanyama’s been dragged in. Maybe he can rest easy after Les Bleus take on Senegal later tonight to kick off their World Cup campaign.
