By Maria Fernanda N. and Pedro G., both aged 10

A player on the Brazilian national team, 31-year-old Tamires Cassia Dias Gomes from Minas Gerais state played as the left-winger during the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France. The event is the most recent highlight in Tamires’ path since she started playing at 11.

Throughout her career, Tamires has played for Brazilian teams, including Santos, Juventus, and Corinthians (where she is currently playing) as well as international ones such as the American Charlotte Eagles, and the Danish Fortuna Hjorring. She has won titles in the America’s Cup as well as in the Pan-American Games.

Junior reporters Maria Fernanda N. and Pedro G., both 10, interviewed the player about her start in the profession, as well as her challenges and conquests in the football world. Check it out:

How did you start playing football?

My mother says that when I was three, I was already asking my dad to play ball with me. But, it was at age 11, after I started to play futsal in my town, Caeté, in the state of Minas Gerais, that I began to take it seriously.

You stopped playing twice already during your career. Why?

When I got pregnant at 21, I stopped playing to take care of my son. Afterwards, I stopped again because I was spending the entire day away from home and from my family. But I missed being on the field, so I went back.

What was your reaction when you found out you had been summoned to play for the national team for the first time?

I was 16 the first time I was summoned to play for the national team. The first summon for the main national team happened when I was 25. I was very happy. When I put on the team shirt, I felt wonderful. It was very good to represent my country and fulfil the dreams of thousands of girls who also wanted to play football.

What challenges have you faced since you started playing football? How do you deal with them?

I faced prejudice for being a woman and for liking to play football. Many believed that women should not play. But football is really a women’s thing. When they made these comments, I would get upset, but because I believed in my dream, I would let it go and keep on playing. Sometimes I would play against boys who spoke badly of me, and I would do a trick or do something cool with the ball. Then they would say:” Wow, she really knows how to play.” I would make them stop talking when I played.

What is your day-to-day at Corinthians like?

It is very busy. We work out for an hour and a half. Afterwards we take the bus to the Corinthians training centre where we practice on the field for two hours. Then, we go home. I went to the club right after I came back from the World Cup [before that Tamires played for the Fortuna Hjørring in Denmark].

What was your life in Denmark like?

I spent four years there. The town where I lived, Hjørring, was very calm, but it was inland. I lived close to the club and went to practice by foot or by bike – they ride quite a bit over there. Denmark is a very cold country: I practiced in weather that felt like -21°C. I gradually adapted, but I did not really like the weather there. Aside from that, it is a very nice country to live.

Why did you decide to come back to Brazil?

I want to be a part of the growth of women’s football in Brazil. My main goal is to help women’s football, by sharing some of my experiences with the children who dream of making a career of it.

What are your best football memories?

The first test I passed was the Juventus when I was 15. Playing in the Rio 2016 Olympics, becoming a champion in the Toronto 2015 Pan-American games, and then winning the America’s Cup twice (in 2014 and 2018). Aside from that, I have fond memories of the titles I won with the clubs I played in, such as the Fortuna Hjørring.

World Cup Elimination

After a balanced game against France on June 23rd, the Brazilian team was eliminated from the Women’s World Cup in a 2 x 1 round of 16 matches. The competition ended on July 7th with the team from the United States as winner.

Tamires says that she was sad after the defeat, but that she is proud of the team’s performance. “We fought a lot to achieve the victory. After the game, I had the feeling that we did our best, we did everything we could have done,” she said. “We walked out with our heads high.”

Questions

1)     Why did Tamires decide to come back to Brazil?
a. She did not like living in Denmark.
b. She wanted to carry out her dream of playing for Corinthians.
c. The athlete wanted to help women’s soccer grow in Brazil.
d. Tamires was tired of the cold in Denmark and wanted to live in a warm country.

2)     What do you think could be done to increase the prestige and popularity of women’s football in Brazil?

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