Benfica player gets Portuguese passport, in World Cup contention | OneFootball

The Portuguese-Spanish footballer Paula Encinas, known as Pauleta, who plays for the women's football team of Benfica, has been called up for the first time to represent the Portuguese national team, highlighting that she is happy and has been pursuing this goal for several years.

"The word is happiness! It was something I wanted for a long time. I arrived in Portugal 10 years ago, and then I grew up here, did everything here, became a woman here. I am grateful to Portugal, to the entire structure of Portuguese women's football," said the midfielder, 28, in statements to BTV.

Born in Pontevedra, Galicia, 28 years ago, Pauleta was called by the Portuguese coach Francisco Neto for the matches against Finland, on March 3, in Vizela, and Slovakia, on the 8th, in Barcelos, for the 2027 World Cup qualifiers.

Portugal is in Group 3 of League B of the Nations League, the main pathway for European teams to the next World Cup, with the group also including Latvia. The Eagles' midfielder, who suffered two serious injuries in recent years, assured that she always worked to achieve the goal of reaching the national team.

"A lot came to mind, about football, about my career, about my sporting life, but I never gave up and always wanted to keep fighting to stay on the field doing what I love most, which is playing football and continuing to play for Benfica. Now it's time to enjoy this moment," she emphasized. A Benfica goalkeeper was also called up for the Brazilian national team.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.