Paloma Maciel on first call-up: “Being with Brazil is very different” | OneFootball

Paloma Maciel is one of the newcomers to the Brazilian National Team in this April FIFA window. Even before the team’s first training session, the center-back gave an exclusive interview to CBF TV and spoke about one of the most special moments of her life: hearing her name announced in the squad call-up.

“We were gathered in the locker room (Cruzeiro players), and when Arthur said my name, I couldn’t believe it. I was celebrating with them, but it still hadn’t sunk in. Little by little, I realized what had happened, and it feels like a movie plays in your head, of everything you’ve been through and the whole journey to get here. I was emotional and very happy,” she said.

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Besides the happiness of her teammates, Paloma highlighted that it was also a very emotional moment for her family. She also explained what it was like.

“On the plane I was nervous, with butterflies in my stomach, wanting to get here as soon as possible. It’s a very different reality. I’m here talking to you, but at the same time I’m thinking, ‘Am I really with the National Team?’ Being with the Brazilian National Team is very different.”

Paloma Maciel reported on Monday morningCredits: Lívia Villas Boas/CBF

JOURNEY

“I started at home playing with my brother. He didn’t have anyone to play soccer with, so he would make me play with him. A lot of times I didn’t want to, but since there was no one else, I played with him. That’s how I started to enjoy playing soccer,” she said.

After developing a taste for the sport, Paloma started playing at school. In competitions, she began indoors, playing futsal for Brusque. Before launching her career on the field, the center-back had a trial at Ferroviária, but didn’t make it. She spent three years at Athletico-PR before joining Cruzeiro, the club with which she renewed her contract through 2027.

CRUZEIRO

Paloma joined Cruzeiro in 2023 and, since then, has shown major growth as a player. She believes the work done at Cabuloso helped her reach the Brazilian National Team.

“Cruzeiro helped me grow a lot as an athlete. It was an important door that opened in my life. I improved a lot there, the work Jonas (the coach) does there is incredible, and it was largely because of the work being done at the club that I managed to get here,” she said.

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EXPECTATION TO WEAR THE YELLOW JERSEY

After the excitement of being called up comes the anxiety of wearing the Yellow Jersey on the pitch. Paloma revealed that, besides winning all three matches, she also hopes to perform well on the field to help the team.

“I’m very anxious. Besides winning the three matches, I want to play good soccer; I think that’s what every athlete wants. I can’t wait for training to start and for match day to arrive,” she said.

Paloma Maciel spoke about her journey to the National TeamCredits: Samara Moumei/CBF

SCHEDULE

The Brazilian National Team is in camp for the FIFA Series, a series of friendlies promoted by world football’s governing body with the aim of creating more opportunities for matches between national teams for competitive balance, technical development, and intercontinental exchange.

Brazil faces South Korea on Saturday (11), Zambia on April 14, and Canada on the 18th. All matches will kick off at 9:30 p.m. (local time - 10:30 p.m. Brasília time), at Arena Pantanal, in Cuiabá (MT).

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