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Mother, footballer and legend: Cristiane, the veteran Brazilian scorer

Veteran Cristiane Rozeira de Souza Silva has built a solid international career and aims to end it on a high at the Olympics
by
sambafoot_admin
2024-05-28 13:00:34
Cristiane (right) and Marta (left)
Image Credits: © (Lívia Villas Boas /CBF)

On May 15, 1985, in the town of Osasco, São Paulo, Brazil, a girl was born who would go down in the history books of national and international football, becoming a record-breaker and prolific goal scorer. That day, Cristiane Rozeira de Souza Silva, the tireless scorer of Brazilian football, was born.

Now a veteran, Cristiane has experienced both the best and the worst years of the national team"s history, stepping aside at times but always returning to do what she loves most: scoring goals. Today, on Sambafoot, we review the career of this contemporary legend of women"s football.

READ MORE

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++ How Brazil became the host of 2027 Women"s World Cup
++ How has Brazil fared in the FIFA Women"s World Cups?

Club Career

Born in São Paulo, Cristiane started her football career very young, showing a strong preference for the sport over other disciplines. She joined Clube Atlético Juventus, a São Paulo team that gave her the opportunity to sign at just 14 years old.

From the 2005/06 season, Cristiane moved to German football, specifically to Turbine Potsdam, where she won the UEFA Women"s Champions League, marking her entry into the elite of women"s football. After Germany, Cristiane had successful stints in Sweden, Brazil, Russia, the United States, South Korea, China, and France.

One of her most successful periods was with Santos, where she won two Copa Libertadores titles. Cristiane now plays for Flamengo.

Cristiane"s Club Journey

  • CA Juventus (2003-2005)
  • FFC Turbine Potsdam (2005-2006)
  • VfL Wolfsburg (2006-2007)
  • Linköpings FC (2008)
  • SC Corinthians (2008-2009)
  • Chicago Red Stars (2009)
  • Santos FC (2009-2011)
  • WFC Rossiyanka (2011)
  • São José EC (2012)
  • Daekyo Kangaroos (2013)
  • Centro Olímpico (2013-2015)
  • Paris Saint-Germain (2015-2017)
  • Changchun Zhuoyue (2013-2015)
  • São Paulo FC (2019)
  • Santos (2020-2024)
  • Flamengo (2024-)

International Career

Since 2003, Cristiane has worn the Brazilian Women"s National Team jersey, competing in youth tournaments and major events with the senior team from the beginning. Besides her impressive club career, Cristiane has also accumulated spectacular numbers with the national team.

This veteran and tireless forward is the second-highest goal scorer in the history of the Seleção, only behind her longtime companion Marta. She is also the third player with the most appearances in the history of the national team.

In the Olympics, her favorite competition, Cristiane stands out as the all-time top scorer, having scored 14 goals, one more than Marta.

In addition to winning two Silver Medals in the Olympics, Cristiane has three Copa América titles and two Gold Medals in the Pan American Games.

Cristiane"s Record with the National Team*

Matches: 155
Goals: 97

*Data as of May 2024

Achievements

Cristiane"s achievements are highlighted by her successes with the national team, the Women"s Champions League title early in her career, and the two Copa Libertadores titles with Santos.

  • 1x UEFA Women"s Champions League – Turbine Potsdam (2004/05)
  • 2x CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores – Santos (2009, 2010)
  • 1x German League – Turbine Potsdam (2005/06)
  • 1x Copa do Brasil – Santos (2009)
  • 1x Copa Paulista – Santos (2020)
  • 1x Brazilian Championship Série A2 – São Paulo FC (2019)
  • 2x Gold Medal (Pan American Games) – Brazil (2007, 2015)
  • 2x Silver Medal (Olympic Games) – Brazil (2004, 2008)
  • 3x Copa América – Brazil (2010, 2014, 2018)

Individual Awards and Records

These are some of the records, individual awards, and achievements of the Brazilian legend Cristiane.

  • 2x Third Place FIFA World Player of the Year – 2007, 2008
  • 1x FIFA World Cup Bronze Ball – 2007
  • Included in the CONMEBOL Best Female Team of the Decade 2011-2020 by IFFHS
  • Second highest goal scorer in the history of the Brazilian national team
  • Third player with the most appearances in the history of the Brazilian national team
  • All-time top scorer in Olympic history
  • Brazil"s all-time top scorer in the Olympics
  • The only player in history to score two hat-tricks in the Olympics

Cristiane and the challenge of balancing motherhood, goal scoring, and legendary status

When thinking of Cristiane, goals, records, and historic campaigns in the elite of women"s football come to mind. However, behind the goals, joys, and eternal glory lies a woman who, as her popular nickname “Mamãe (Mom)" suggests, is a mother who struggles to balance her football passion with the challenging adventure of parenthood.

Her son, Bento, is her great inspiration, as she revealed in an interview with FIFA. When asked about the challenges of balancing her two lives (motherhood and football), Cristiane confessed:

“Yes. I think it"s a little easier now that Bento is older, I can sleep a bit more. Many times I had to go to matches without any sleep and without eating properly. Still, I manage to do a great job on the field. (…) I don"t have time to watch TV, not even football! I feel like I"m in another world, but of course, I wouldn"t change this for anything."

Parenthood is not easy, especially being a contemporary legend like Cristiane. When her national team needs her most, she is there to score goals and lead her teammates. Balancing this and continuing to be a historic goal scorer is something very few footballers can achieve, and if anyone can do it, it is “Mamãe Cristiane."

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Watch the full series, available on Sambafoot’s Youtube channel.

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