Brazilian Forward Mileninha Reflects On Her Journey From Brasilia To South Korea | OneFootball

Representing Brazil, winning youth international medals and now challenging for a league title in South Korea, Mileninha’s career has continued to move from strength to strength. Yet her football journey began like many others, watching matches with her father before joining a local futsal academy at the age of six.

She normally operates as a striker and is a talented forward, capable of using both feet. A natural goalscorer, Mileninha is a clinical finisher in front of goal and has consistently shown an eye for finding the back of the net throughout her career.

“When I was a child, my dad used to take me every Sunday to watch football in my hometown. I think those are some of my best childhood memories,” she tells WFi.

“I can remember that I’ve always loved football and used to watch it with my dad, which made me love the game even more.

“When I was six years old, I joined a futsal academy, and from that moment, I knew that this was what I wanted to do with my life.”

Mileninha began her career in the youth academy at Minas Brasília, where she made six appearances and scored five goals before stepping into senior football with Brasilândia.

In 2020, she joined Internacional and initially began playing for their under-18 side. She enjoyed a remarkable debut season, playing 13 matches, scoring 11 goals and providing four assists.

Those performances earned her an opportunity with Internacional’s senior team, where she made 19 appearances and showed her finishing credentials, scoring 11 goals.

Despite already impressing at senior level, Inter continued her development in the youth setup. In 2021, she scored six goals in seven matches for the youth side before adding another goal for the senior team later that year.

During that time, she helped her state side win the Campeonato Gaúcho in both 2021 and 2023.

After four years with Inter, Mileninha opted to move to Fluminense in 2024, continuing her career in Brazilian football before eventually making the move abroad.

“It was a very short period, but it opened many doors for me in football. I’m very grateful that Minas believed in me and in my work,” she said.

“I’ve always enjoyed finishing and playing close to the goal. I worked hard to improve the technical side of my finishing, and I think that has paid off.

“The coaches also played a huge role by identifying the best position for me to play in and helping me make the most of my strengths.

“I was very fortunate because I adapted to the first team very quickly at the time. One of the biggest reasons for that was how much the older players helped me through the transition.”

After spending her entire career in Brazil, Mileninha decided it was time for a new challenge. Following her departure from Fluminense, she moved not only to a new club, but also to a completely new country, joining Suwon in South Korea.

The move took her thousands of miles away from her native Brazil, her friends and family, while also requiring her to adapt to a new culture and way of life.

On the pitch, however, she settled in immediately. In her debut season in 2025, Mileninha scored seven goals in just seven league appearances, making an immediate impact.

Mileninha has also featured in the AFC Women’s Champions League, where Suwon narrowly missed out on a place in the final after suffering a narrow semi-final loss.

Suwon currently sit top of the WK League, eight points clear of their nearest challengers, with the title race firmly in their hands.

Mileninha has continued her impressive form this season, scoring four league goals, including an impressive brace against Incheon Hyundai.

With Suwon leading the way, she will be hoping to play a key role in helping her side lift the WK League title.

“It was a very difficult transition, but I was already prepared to experience it, especially mentally,” she said on moving to South Korea.

“I don’t think I would have managed it if I hadn’t been in such a strong place psychologically.

“I’m happy with the story I’ve been writing at Suwon so far. I believe I’ve earned everyone’s respect and affection through what I show both on and off the pitch, so I’m very pleased.”

Mileninha has also represented Brazil at youth level, as touched on above. She scored in Brazil’s 10-0 victory over Bolivia as the Seleção lifted the 2022 South American Under-20 Championship in Chile.

A few months later, Brazil reached the semi-finals of the FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup, where they suffered a narrow defeat to Japan. However, they bounced back in the third-place play-off, defeating the Netherlands 4-1 to secure the bronze medal.

“Representing Brazil and winning medals in two official competitions will always be among my greatest memories in sport. They were incredible moments that will always be part of my journey,” she added.

Still only 23 years old, Mileninha has plenty left to achieve in her career. She spoke about her goals and ambitions for the future, and what she hopes to accomplish as she continues her journey both at club level and beyond.

“I hope to build a long and successful career, achieve many more accomplishments, and continue being happy playing the sport I love.”