Ana Candida évora, mother of Cape Verde’s star goalkeeper Vozinha, spoke with CGTN and expressed her gratitude to fans in China. Photo: Courtesy of CGTN

Setting off from São Vicente in Cape Verde and transiting via the capital Praia, Ana Cândida Évora, mother of Cape Verde's star goalkeeper Vozinha, is en route to her final destination Miami in the US. She plans to cheer on her son in the Blue Sharks' crucial second Group H World Cup fixture against Uruguay, after she was granted a visa to enter the US when the cost issue on a bond payment for a visa was sorted out. 

On her departure, Évora spoke with CGTN and expressed her gratitude to fans in China. She called China a "very good country and a friend of ours [people in Cape Verde]."  She even specifically addressed the Chinese fans in Chinese, saying, "Thank you, Chinese fans."

Previously, the story of Évora missing Vozinha's stellar performance in the Cape Verde-Spain match due to financial constraints and visa cost issue went viral online. Lin Jie, a Wenzhou-born entrepreneur who has lived in Cape Verde, had already made contact with the family before international reporters and media outlets reached Vozinha's mother. Lin was also one of the first people to reach out and offer assistance to Évora.

Lin, who has lived in the country for more than two decades, told the Global Times on Thursday that he decided to visit the goalkeeper's family shortly after the match. Through a local connection, his wife's clothing store, where Vozinha's cousin works, Lin was able to establish contact with the family.

Lin later shared videos on Chinese social media platform Douyin showing Vozinha's mother and cousin celebrating the goalkeeper's performance and preparing gifts for his return. Another video showed Lin accompanying Vozinha's mother to a local airport as she departed for the US. 

Lin told the Global Times that Josina Freitas, a member of Cape Verde's National Assembly helped facilitate the process. The Cape Verde National Football Association covered the cost of her visa and her flights to the capital and onward to the US.

As of Friday night, Beijing time, Lin told the Global Times that to his knowledge, Évora was making a transfer in Portugal.

Earlier, after Vozinha's debut against Spain, the stellar goalkeeper explained that his mother could not travel to watch his historic World Cup debut "due to the mandatory visa bond deposit required to enter the US," according to Al Jazeera. 

"Also, my mum, she didn't manage to be here because of the visa. The money for the visa, we didn't manage on time, and I would like her to be here," said goalkeeper Vozinha, according to Al Jazeera. 

The US government placed Cape Verde on a list of countries whose citizens must post a returnable bond of $15,000 on top of visa fees to enter the country. Although the government last month dropped the requirement for World Cup ticket holders, but by that point the high costs had ruled out the trip for Evora, the mother of Cape Verde's 40-year-old goalkeeper, The Guardian reported. Evora is a 59-year-old house cleaner, according to the report. 

While Évora planned to finish all visa formalities at the US Embassy in Praia, Cape Verde's capital, ahead of her trip to the US to catch Cape Verde's Sunday fixture against Uruguay, Lin escorted Vozinha's mother to the local airport as she set off for the US. He additionally provided her with travel necessities including a suitcase made of Yiwu, Zhejiang Province. 

Aside from Lin's assistance, Évora's journey from Cape Verde to the US drew attention from Chinese netizens, racking up over 16.99 million views as a trending topic on Sina Weibo as of press time on Friday. Many netizens sent their best wishes after learning she could finally travel to the US to watch her son's match.

According to CGTN, Évora also shared about her memories of her son's childhood football journey and her excitement about seeing him again.

"When I see him, I want to give him a mother's hug and wish him good luck," Évora told CGTN.