“I feel I can achieve anything with all of you. Let’s aim as high as we possibly can,” was the sentiment uttered by Erika Ferrara on social media in March a few days after Italy booked their ticket to the FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup Philippines 2025™, which is set to take place from 21 November to 7 December.
The winger captained her club side, Falconara to Scudetto glory last season, replicating the success from the 2021-22 campaign with the very same club.
“Winning the league was just spectacular,” admitted the 26-year-old. “Our last match felt like a home game, with so many fans travelling there from Falconara Marittima in their droves. Out of the two Scudetto titles that I’ve won, the most recent was the best because we started out as underdogs. The Italian league was very evenly balanced towards the top until last year. We achieved our goal through hard work, overcoming major difficulties, especially in terms of the number of players in the squad.”
Ferrara had already experienced a range of emotions back in March during what she described as a “magical night”. Victory over Sweden sealed Italy’s place at the FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup, a moment that will live long in the memory.
“That win over Sweden was crucial to avoid any potential risks the following day. It was wonderful and emotional at the same time. We’d talked about it before, but when we actually achieved our goal, our dream became reality and we shed tears of joy. We all then celebrated together joyously, raising a toast to qualification.”
Ferrara also shared her thoughts on the secret behind Italy’s success. “Over the years, we’ve built a tight-knit group that supports each other in difficult moments. We’ve all improved technically and mentally, which has helped considerably. The secret is team spirit. We enjoy being together and we’re like a family.”
Under the guidance of coach Francesca Salvatore, Ferrara believes there has also been a notable psychological shift. “Francesca has done a brilliant job in terms of bringing us together, while also keeping us in check and spurring us on at the same time. She’s pushed us to rise above our emotional shortcomings. We’ve come on leaps and bounds mentally,” admitted the Italian.
One of Ferrara’s key attributes is her ability to play with both feet, as she explained. “I’ve had to work so hard on my right foot. It was effectively just for standing on until a few years ago. As my confidence grew, I also tried to refine my shooting on my right foot, and it now comes to me more naturally. It’s certainly another string to my bow in line with my style of play.”
Ferrara was also keen to heap praise on her team-mates and lift the lid on some of her FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup opponents: “Ana Sestari is the best goalkeeper around,” exclaimed her international team-mate. “The time has come for her to be recognised as the greatest.
“Janice Silva is impressive. She glides around the pitch so elegantly and is such a brilliant pivot. Fifo tends to perform so well alongside Janice and is a key cog for Portugal. Renatinha has bags of quality and unpredictability, and there’s no stopping her when she’s in the mood.”
Ferrera finished off by setting the team’s target at the FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup in the Philippines: “I think Italy can go all the way at the World Cup. We can go toe to toe with all the top sides. There’s no reason for us to fear anyone from a technical or tactical standpoint. We’ll battle hard to lift the trophy, which simply has to be our goal. We’ll need to see how it pans out.”
