Benfica forward on sacrifices of professional football: you give up a lot | OneFootball

Diana Silva had a positive season for Benfica in 2025/26, scoring 10 goals in 28 matches and playing a decisive role in winning the league title and the Portuguese Cup. Even so, the forward reflected on the current state of women’s football in Portugal, calling for greater recognition of the sport.

In an interview with Diário de Notícias, the Portugal international highlighted the difficulties that still persist in the careers of professional female footballers. The Benfica player also pointed to the early retirement of several athletes due to the lack of financial conditions:

“I hope that one day I can be watching a match from the stands and know that all players are able to make a living from football, because to be a professional player you have to give up a lot, so there also has to be a salary, otherwise we can’t do our job. Many teammates I knew when I started, and later throughout my career, gave up because they couldn’t make a living from this,” she said.

Despite the structural difficulties facing the sport, Diana Silva said she was pleased with both her individual and the team’s performances throughout the season, in a year marked by changes in the team’s setup: “Overall, it went very well, and I’m very happy with the outcome. I started with certain expectations — I won’t say fear, because I’m never afraid — but I wanted things to go well, and I might not have been able to adapt to a new team, a new coach, a new position... Everything was very new to me,” she explained.

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