Andressa Alves on Corinthians move, tells the Fiel: ‘Dream come true’ | OneFootball

From a career built across different countries to the dream of wearing the jersey of her favorite club. In an exclusive interview with Central do Timão, Andressa Alves spoke openly about her decision to play for Corinthians, recalled the emotion of receiving confirmation of the deal, and explained how the experience she gained abroad has influenced her second season at Parque São Jorge.

The No. 8 also spoke about the growth of women’s football, the internal competition within the squad, her return from injury, and expectations for the decisive stretch of 2026. The Brabas’ next challenge will be a knockout match: Corinthians face Bahia this Tuesday (15), at 9:30 p.m. (Brasília time), at Arena Fonte Nova, in the first leg of the Brazilian Women’s Championship semifinal.

Photo: João Brandino

At 33, Andressa joined Timão at the start of 2025 after building a long career outside Brazil, with spells at Montpellier, Barcelona, Roma, and Houston Dash. Before her international experience, she had also played for Brazilian clubs, including Juventus, Ferroviária, and São José.

Despite spending years away from Brazil, there was one destination that remained in the player’s plans. Andressa told the report that she had long wanted to play for Corinthians and, when she decided to return to the country, she never considered wearing any other shirt.

“I spent a long time abroad. It was almost 10 years, if I’m not mistaken. And I had always wanted to play for Corinthians, but the opportunity didn’t come up, and I kept playing abroad because I had some personal goals: to play in the Champions League, to keep going in Europe. Then there came a moment when I decided and said, ‘No, now is the right time to go back to Brazil.’ And the only team I said I would play for here in Brazil was Corinthians. So if Corinthians hadn’t wanted me, I don’t know what I would have done. I don’t know where I would have gone. I think I would have stayed abroad, probably. So it was the easiest choice of my life. I came to Brazil and I came to Coringão.”

International experience and adapting to Corinthians

Her time at Barcelona marked an important chapter in Andressa’s career. The Brazilian played in a Champions League final against Lyon and became one of the country’s athletes to help open doors in the European scene.

Looking back on that period, the No. 8 highlighted not only the personal experience but also the path her achievements helped create for other Brazilians. The player also compared the feelings she experienced in European football with the emotional intensity she found at Corinthians.

“I think playing in a Champions final is very special. I played with Barcelona, I played against Lyon. Lyon were that machine. And being able to open doors for other Brazilian players, like I did for Geis, and Fabi also played with me. Caroline is now at Barça. So what you do abroad and leave as a legacy also opens doors for other Brazilian players, and the experience is unique. You lived a Champions League. It’s different from living a Libertadores final. For me, it was very different because it’s the heart, so it changes a lot. Last year, when I arrived, I felt it deeply because I’m very emotional.

Sometimes on the pitch you need to be a little more rational, but for me that was very difficult because it was my first year. So there were many things, many feelings, and in this second season I’m more relaxed, I’m lighter, I already understand well how the Brazilian Championship works because I spent many years without playing in Brazil. So I think this season I’m managing to show why I came to Coringão.”

Andressa quickly turned her desire to play for Timão into trophies. In her first season, she was part of the squads that won the 2025 Brazilian Championship and Libertadores. Since arriving at Parque São Jorge, she has totaled 62 matches, 11 goals, and 18 assists.

‘I’m going to play for the team I love’

During the interview, Andressa also revealed how she received the news that she would finally become a Corinthians player. The confirmation came while she was in the car with her wife, Fran. A phone call from her agent, Tati Braga, was enough to turn the moment into one of the most emotional memories of her career.

“I’ll tell you what really happened. I was in the car with my wife, Fran, and my agent, Tati Braga, called me and said: ‘It worked out.’ Then I just froze and started crying. I had no reaction. I just started crying. I hugged her, Fran pulled the car over, I hugged her and said: ‘My dream has come true. I’m going to play for the team I love.’”

Her relationship with the stands took on even greater meaning during the finals Corinthians played. Andressa especially recalled one scene from last year’s final, when she found herself on the pitch joining in a chant that she used to sing as a fan.

For her, knowing the feelings of those in the stands also increases the responsibility of representing the club on the field.

“I think what happened last year, in the final, was historic for me and I will never forget it. I have that image in my head, very clearly: us walking out and then starting the ‘Pô, Pô,’ and me thinking that I used to be there doing the ‘Pô, Pô’ and today I’m here. So I have to represent this crazy bunch, and I know what it feels like to be a fan, what the fans want a player to give on the pitch. So I always give my all, really showing that I’m trying to represent the fans and that, from my side, there will never be a lack of fight, because I know that here at Corinthians that is non-negotiable.”

Andressa explains her progress in her second season

Emotional adaptation also appears as one of the explanations for the player’s performance in 2026. This season, Andressa has four goals and eight assists in 22 matches.

After fulfilling some of the dreams she had before arriving at the club, the No. 8 believes she has found a better balance between the emotion of representing Corinthians and decision-making on the pitch.

“As I told you, last year everything was new to me, so my heart was racing in every game. Sometimes I thought less. So for this second season, I’ve already fulfilled my dreams, I’ve already become a champion, I’ve already played at Neo Química Arena, so now I’m going to use my head more, but of course without leaving out the heart, because that is very important when wearing this shirt. And things are happening, I’m managing to play well, I’m managing to help Corinthians earn points. We have a great squad, the team is very good. Whoever comes on, whoever starts, whoever is on the bench, so that also helps us show our football better, playing with Zanotti, playing with Jaque.”

The number of options available also increases the competition for places. However, Andressa sees the internal competition positively, especially given a calendar that demands different lineups throughout the season.

“Very good, very healthy. That is very important with so many competitions that we play during the year. We need everyone, and our squad is very good.”

The growth of women’s football also goes through the market

With experience in some of the main centers of women’s football worldwide, Andressa has also closely followed the transformation of the sport’s market. In the athlete’s view, deals involving increasingly higher amounts show a reality very different from what players faced about a decade ago.

When discussing the recent transfers of young Brazilian players, the Corinthians player stressed that sporting growth has also started to generate financial returns for clubs.

“Yes, I think women’s football has reached a level where it has become big business. You can make major sales, like Tarsi now, like Teles too, and thinking about that 10 years ago was impossible. You moved for free from one team to another. So you can see that women’s football is growing and that it also gives a nice return.”

Return comes at a decisive moment in the season

Andressa heads into the final stretch of the year after having to interrupt her run because of a muscle problem in the back of her thigh. The player was sidelined for about 20 days and missed Corinthians matches, but she began getting minutes again right during the Brazilian Championship quarterfinals.

In the Brabas’ last match, played on September 7, she came off the bench in the 3-1 win over Cruzeiro at Canindé. The result confirmed Corinthians’ qualification for the semifinal after a 1-0 victory in the first leg.

Now, with Bahia ahead, Andressa acknowledges the difficulty of the match at Arena Fonte Nova and expects Corinthians will need a near-perfect performance to build an advantage before the second leg.

“I had this annoying hamstring injury, and I was out for about 20 days and ended up missing a few games in the Brazilian group stage. But now it’s time for the knockout stage. I managed to get some minutes already against Cruzeiro, and I’m happy to be able to help. And now it’s all or nothing. We know that playing there—we have a lot of respect for Bahia, really a lot. We know the game there will be very difficult and that we have to play an almost flawless match to come away from there with a good result.”

The first meeting of the semifinal takes place this Tuesday (15), at 9:30 p.m., at Fonte Nova. The decisive second leg will be the following Monday (21), also at 9:30 p.m., at Neo Química Arena, a stage Andressa knows both from the perspective of someone on the pitch and someone who grew up supporting Corinthians.

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