Who is Kerolin? The Manchester City star who scored the first WSL hat-trick against Chelsea | OneFootball

Manchester City star Kerolin made Women’s Super League history in their 5-1 victory over WSL title rivals Chelsea.

The Brazilian produced her best performance in a Manchester City shirt, scoring a hat-trick in a game which could swing the title to Andree Jeglertz’s side.

Kerolin makes WSL history

Manchester City forward Kerolin became the first player in WSL history to score a hat-trick against Chelsea.

It came on a day when Chelsea suffered their first back-to-back defeat since July 2015, and their biggest loss since a 5-0 thrashing by Arsenal in September 2018.

Kerolin’s display against Chelsea continues a great run of form for the Brazilian.

The 26-year-old is enjoying the form of her life, after also scoring against London City Lionesses and Everton in January, as well as Leicester City in December.

Her hat-trick piles pressure on Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor, with the reigning champions now 11 points behind Manchester City. Manchester United are now City’s nearest challengers, but still 10 points off Andree Jeglertz’s side.

When did Kerolin join Manchester City?

Kerolin joined Manchester City in January 2025, after spending three years with National Women’s Soccer League side North Carolina Courage.

She was named to the NWSL Best XI Second Team in 2022, and guided Courage to a third-place finish in the standings in 2023.

However, she suffered an ACL injury just days before the Playoffs and did not return until September 2024. Despite this, she was named the NWSL MVP in 2023.

Before her time in the USA, she played for Madrid CF in Spain and multiple clubs in Brazil.

Kerolin’s Manchester City stats

Kerolin has scored 11 goals in 27 appearances since joining City on a three-and-a-half-year deal last January.

Her hat-trick against Chelsea takes her to six goals in seven WSL games this season.  This already surpasses the three goals she scored in 11 appearances last season.

Kerolin has the best goals-per-game ratio in the WSL this season at 1.41 per 90 minutes. She is third in the Golden Boot race behind Bunny Shaw (14) and Aston Villa’s Kirsty Hanson (7).

She is also third in terms of goals and assists in the WSL behind Manchester City teammates Shaw (18) and Vivianne Miedema (10).

That is despite missing all of October and November with a lower-body injury.

Kerolin is not a guaranteed starter

Despite her recent impressive numbers, Kerolin is not a guaranteed starter at Manchester City.

She has often found herself behind Japanese international Aoba Fujino in the pecking order.

The clash with Chelsea was just her third start in the WSL this season. Kerolin’s improved form has come at a time when Fujino has been out with an injury.

Fujino returned off the bench against Chelsea, but could find it hard to get back into the team due to Kerolin’s recent form.

“It’s hard to talk about myself,” Kerolin told BBC One after the game. “I’m enjoying the moment with the team.

“Without the team, I can’t do anything. If we’re in this position right now, it’s because of the team.”