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Formiga, the tireless fighter and record breaker

Miraildes Maciel Mota, ‘Formiga,’ built a solid career in women's football while continuously battling gender prejudices
by
sambafoot_admin
2024-05-29 12:28:13
Image
Image Credits: © (Sam Robles/CBF)

Miraildes Maciel Mota was born in Salvador de Bahía on March 3, 1978. From a very young age, Formiga began her endless struggle against the prejudices she faced for being a woman and for loving a sport that, during her youth, was illegal for her gender.

A few years ago, Formiga retired from the Brazilian National Team, not only as an icon of Brazilian football due to her countless achievements and notable participations in international tournaments, but also for her tireless work as the visible face of a movement that always fought for gender equality. Today, on Sambafoot, we look back at the spectacular career of this tireless fighter.

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Club Career

Formiga had a very early career at both the national team and club levels. In 1993, she began her professional career with São Paulo and remained in her native Brazil until 2004, when she moved to Sweden and later to the United States.

After three years in Brazil, between 2007 and 2009, she returned to the United States, and in 2011, she began her longest and most successful club stint by signing with São José. She left the team in 2016 after winning three Copa Libertadores, two of them consecutively. In 2017, she signed with PSG, where she played in a Women’s Champions League final, and in 2021, she returned to her formative club, São Paulo. She has been without a club since 2022.

Miraildes Maciel Mota ‘Formiga’ Career Path

  • São Paulo FC (1993-1997)
  • AS Portuguesa (1998-1999)
  • São Paulo FC (1999-2000)
  • Santa Isabel Futebol Clube (2000-2001)
  • Santos (2002-2004)
  • Fotboll Club Rosengård Dam* (2004-2005)
  • New Jersey Wildcats (2006-2007)
  • Jersey Sky Blue (2007)
  • Saad Esporte Clube (2007)
  • Botucatu FC (2008-2009)
  • Palmeiras (2009)
  • FC Gold Pride (2009-2010)
  • Chicago Red Stars (2010-2011)
  • São José EC (2011)
  • América de Natal (2012)
  • São José EC (2013-2016)
  • São Francisco do Conde (2016)
  • Paris Saint-Germain (2017-2021)
  • São Paulo FC (2021-2022)
    *Previously known as LdB FC Malmö.

International Career

After starting her journey with the national team in 1995, Formiga’s first major test with the Seleção was the 1996 Olympics, a tournament she played at the tender age of 17, thus beginning a historic streak of appearances in major tournaments with the women’s national team.

Formiga retired from the Seleção in 2021 with an impressive record of seven World Cups (Sweden 1995, USA 1999, USA 2003, China 2007, Germany 2011, Canada 2015, and France 2019). However, this remarkable record extends to the Olympics as well, playing in seven different tournaments over her successful career: Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000, Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio 2016, and Tokyo 2020.

With these records, Formiga became the only athlete, including both male and female categories of FIFA and the Olympics, to play in seven World Cups and seven different Olympic Games.

In her enviable international record, she highlights six Copa América Femenina titles, two Olympic Silver Medals, three Pan American Games Gold Medals, and a World Cup runner-up title in 2007.

She is also the player with the most appearances in the history of the Seleção.

Formiga with the Seleção

  • Matches: 234
  • Goals: 37

Honors

During nearly 30 years of Formiga’s career, the footballer born in Salvador de Bahía accumulated this enviable collective record at both club and national team levels:

  • 3x CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores Femenina – São José (2011, 2013, 2014)
  • 2x Copa de Brasil – São José (2012, 2013)
  • 1x Mundial de Clubes Femenino – São José (2014)
  • 6x Campeonato Paulista Femenino – São José (2012, 2014, 2015), São Paulo FC (1997, 1999), Botucatu (2008)
  • 1x Taça Brasil de Futebol Femenino – São Paulo FC (1997)
  • 1x Campeonato Francés Femenino – PSG (2020/21)
  • 1x Copa de Francia Femenino – PSG (2017/18)
  • 3x Pan American Games Gold Medals – Brazil (2003, 2007, 2015)
  • 2x Olympic Silver Medals – Brazil (2004, 2008)
  • 6x Copa América Femenina – Brazil (1995, 1998, 2003, 2010, 2014, 2018)

Individual Achievements and Records

Unfortunately, Formiga never received a significant number of individual awards throughout her career. However, her significant records achieved in international competitions make up for this lack of individual trophies.

  • 1x Silver Ball ESPN – 2016
  • Included in the best women’s team of the CONMEBOL decade 2011-2020 by IFFHS
  • 1x Presence in the French League Team of the Year – 2017/18
  • Player with the most appearances in the history of the Brazilian National Team
  • Brazilian footballer, including male statistics, with the most matches in the history of the Seleção
  • Only team sport athlete in Olympic history to participate in seven different editions
  • Only footballer in history to play in seven FIFA World Cups
  • Only footballer in history to play in seven Olympic Games
  • Second footballer with the most matches in World Cups (27)
  • Oldest footballer to play in the Olympic Games (43 years)

Formiga, the Eternal Fighter of Women’s Football

Formiga was born in Brazil in 1978, a year when it was still illegal for women to play football. Although this law was abolished in 1979, the Brazil in which Formiga grew up was full of prejudices and criticisms towards women who enjoyed playing football, a resistance to change found both among strangers and within her own family, as her family tried to convince her not to play football.

In an article published by CONMEBOL, her mother, Doña Celeste, recalled the prejudices Formiga fought against from the beginning:

“She wanted to go to the field, play with the ball all the time. Back then, there was a lot of prejudice, a lot. They said she would be a ‘tomboy,’ that she would become a boy. Her brothers heard that and would beat her so she wouldn’t play anymore,” her mother said.

However, her love for football and passion for playing with kids her age earned her not only the nickname Formiga, for her unselfish way of playing, but also helped her pursue her goal of becoming a professional.

Throughout her career, Formiga fought against the prejudices of a society that forced her to abandon her dreams, but nothing could ever deter her from her goal. Not insults, threats, nor discrimination.

This tireless fighter said goodbye to international football in 2021, sending a message that denotes satisfaction for never giving up in this endless struggle that she and millions of women face daily in football and life:

“My greatest achievement was breaking the terrible prejudice I suffered at home and seeing that women’s football today is improving in Brazil. I can say that my fight has not been in vain,” she assured.

234 international matches later, with the respect, love, and admiration of an entire nation, the eternal fighter, the “ant” who never stopped working to achieve her dreams, closed her career, leaving an indelible legacy and will try to serve as a guide and inspiration for future generations.

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