COVID-19 smacked sport supporters hard. Everyone from the Dallas Cowboys to the Los Angeles Lakers to Melbourne Cricket Club to Mercedes F1 to Real Madrid were forced to play behind closed doors. It was no different in futsal.
Yet one man found a way to watch Taboão/Magnus games. Sergio somehow found a gap between two boards which, from a distance, he could watch his daughter play. Natalinha obliged by doing what Natalinha does: scoring with military regularity.
Natalinha did what Natalinha does in another shirt in another competition in May: that of the Seleção Brasileira in the Copa America. The 30-year-old pivot scored twice – one was a breathtaking flick through her legs – as Brazil battered Colombia to qualify for the first FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup™. She then bagged another brace in a 3-0 win over Argentina in the final.
FIFA caught up with Natalinha ahead of the International Futsal Tournament in Xanxere, where Wilson Saboia’s Seleção will battle Colombia, Morocco and Guatemala for glory.
Natalinha: It was in 2018. It took me by surprise. It was a very special year for me – one I wasn’t expecting – and to make by Brazil debut was simply wonderful. It was indescribable. There’s no better feeling. It was a feeling any player would love.
Two years ago I went to the Xanxere International Tournament in the middle of the year. The Copa America was at the end of the year. I was hopeful of being called up, because I was playing well that year. I didn’t get the call-up, I was really upset, but I knew that there were so many girls with excellent ability and that they would get the job done. So, yes, I was sad but I knew Brazil would emerge as champions.
I’ve come on a lot. Ever since I arrived at Taboão, my game has changed. Since I got here in 2017, I believe I’ve improved every year. And 2024 was a very special year for me. It was a magical year in which our team won every championship in which we participated, and I had a wonderful year on a personal level. I was the star of the national league, our main competition in Brazil. The league was our main target, because we’d come very close in the two previous seasons. So to emerge as the best player and top scorer was very special for me. 2024 is a year I’ll definitely tell my kids about in the future.
It’s what I work hard for. But not in my wildest dreams did I imagine that it would go so perfectly. I was a little nervous about not having scored. I’d scored a lot for my club in the previous year, and I wanted to do the same for the national team. I managed to score twice in a friendly, but what really mattered was the Copa America. To break the drought with two goals in the semi-final was very satisfying for me.
The atmosphere was something else. I’d never played in a Copa America final against Argentina, our biggest rival here in the Americas, so I didn’t expect it. It was really special for me. To be able to start the game was great, but obviously what I really wanted was the goal. I was a little nervous. I think the atmosphere, our rivalry with Argentina, the fact that the game was very tight added to it. Then we managed to impose our rhythm and I score two goals. There’s no better feeling than scoring two goals against Argentina and winning.
I think she’s an excellent player. She was my rival here for many years, but as a player she’s outstanding. She made a great individual run and, thank God, saw me at the back post. I’m always joking with the girls, saying ‘Look for me at the back post’. I’ll always be there. It was a brilliant run and it was really beautiful to finish it off.
I think Emilly is currently the best in the world. She deserves this tag. She had a couple of excellent seasons at Burela and she deserves to be called the best in the world.
There’s great competition for places. You always hope to be in the squad, but you know that the Brazilian national team is at a really high standard. Brazil could pick three outstanding squads. We always say that nobody is guaranteed a place because there are so many quality players. It’s really tough in my position.
The hope and the dream is to be there. I dream about being at the World Cup every day. But I need to keep on working really hard to make it. The Copa America was really special for me, but there’s still a lot of work to do.
It’s really special talking about my dad. During the pandemic, we couldn’t have spectators. The arena was almost completely closed, there was just a little space to see the court. He was in it, the only fan there, cheering for me and for Taboão. Having my father around is really rewarding. I hope he can be in the Philippines. It’s his dream as well as mine.
Of course. We have to go there with this mindset. We have a very strong national team. We’ve never lost an official competition and we’re definitely going all out for the world title.
The other national teams have been improving a lot. We saw that with our rivals in the Copa America. Argentina and Colombia are really strong. Then you have Spain, Italy, Portugal. They all have excellent quality and can go toe to toe with anyone.
