Brendha: "I wanted this dream," on leaving Paraná for Seleção | OneFootball

Microphone tested and framing adjusted in a space prepared for the CBF TV interview with forward Brendha. When she entered the room, her charisma arrived before any words. Smiling, she admitted she was a little nervous about giving the interview. Her concern was “not speaking so well” because she was from the countryside. But it’s precisely from this simplicity that stories are born that captivate and inspire.

Brendha was born in Mallet but moved with her family to Rebouças, a neighboring town in the interior of Paraná, before she was two years old. Since childhood, soccer was already part of her life, but it was only in 2020, at the age of 14, that Brendha was certain that football was her life’s choice. A conversation with her mother, her great supporter, was decisive. “You have a lot of potential, I think you should try. That’s when I started to focus more on the field because I liked playing futsal,” recalls the National Team forward.

The journey of her uncle, Dionathã, a Grêmio youth product and Mixto forward, who had already been called up to the youth national teams, was an inspiration for the young athlete as a life project. “It was thinking about my uncle’s path that I started to consider what I want for my career, my life, how to be away from my family. He had a photo at the entrance of Granja with the National Team jersey. I’m living a dream that belongs to the whole family, right? Everyone supports me,” she celebrates the encouragement she has always received.

Brendha training at CARFEM in preparation for the match against Bolivia in the South American ChampionshipCredits: STAFF IMAGES / CBF

Brendha started at Imperial, in Curitiba, in 2023, playing in the Paraná State U-17 Championship. She stood out and was promoted to Coritiba’s U-20 team, a partner club at the time. In the Ladies Cup, her performances drew attention and many offers appeared. Among them, one from Flamengo. The forward says she had to revisit that habit of asking herself, “Is this what I want?” “Am I going to give up leaving a small town to go to a huge city? That’s what I chose,” she recalls.

At 17, alone at the airport heading to Rio de Janeiro, she discovered that growing up also means facing the unknown. “An unforgettable experience. I had never flown before. I had to do everything by myself. I didn’t even know how to check in. But I really wanted to make this dream come true. My family couldn’t always be with me. I had to face these challenges and fears alone. But always with them in my heart,” she said.

Brendha in prayer before the start of the Brazil U-20 National Team training at CARFEM, ParaguayCredits: STAFF IMAGES / CBF

The move to Rio de Janeiro, at the beginning of 2024, brought new challenges. Far from the calm routine of a town with just over 14,000 inhabitants, she focused on earning her place at Flamengo. She turned potential into performance and quickly established herself as one of the great highlights of the Rio club’s 2025 season. That’s how her first call-up to the Brazil U-20 National Team came about. Coach Camilla Orlando called up 30 athletes for a training period before the South American Championship in Paraguay. It was a chance to be among the 22 athletes on the final list for the continental competition. On January 29, Brendha received the news that she was among those who would represent Brazil in the continental tournament. Wearing the number 19, she came on in the second half of Brazil’s debut against Ecuador and scored the goal that would change the course of a match full of twists. Minutes later, Ana Bia scored the third, securing the 3-2 victory over the Ecuadorians.

“When the anthem played, that emotion came over me and it’s a moment every player waits for in their career, and I still haven’t come back to reality. It takes a while, but I’m making the most of it with an open heart. I went in, I was very nervous. I looked up to the sky and said, ‘God, if it’s your will, bless me, enlighten me at this moment,’ and it was one, two balls at the right moment and I managed to score for the Brazilian national team,” she says.

Brendha scores Brazil’s second goal in the 3-2 comeback win over Ecuador at the South American U-20 Championship in ParaguayCredits: STAFF IMAGES / CBF

This Saturday (07), there’s another challenge ahead. The Brazilian National Team will face Bolivia at 6 p.m. (Brasília time), at the Luis Alfonso Giagni stadium, in Villa Elisa, Paraguay. In the South American U-20 Championship, Brendha shows maturity when talking about her goals. More than lifting the trophy in the final on the 28th, she wants to learn and make the most of her time with professionals.

“First, to mature as an athlete, to grow and learn. I think that’s fundamental to evolving on the field. So I’m having this incredible experience with great professionals who are helping me grow even more in football, in my position, and the goals I’ve set are, beyond being champion, to have a good tournament, to always help the team as much as possible, and then the title will come,” she concludes.

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