In October 2017, Adriana was called up to the Senior Women’s National Team for the first time. In 2024, after years of dedication and overcoming challenges, the forward crowns her journey with the Amarelinha with a silver medal at the Olympic Games, achieved on the afternoon of this Saturday (10) at the Parc des Princes in Paris, following a 1-0 defeat to the United States.
“We knew it would be a tough game; we had several chances and managed to reach the U.S. goal. We were aware of the quality of the American team, but at no moment did we underestimate ourselves. On the contrary, we really wanted that gold medal, but we will keep working. Our moment to achieve it will come,” she stated.
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At 27 years old, the player embodies what many girls dream of becoming. She started playing on a dirt field, sometimes not even being allowed to touch the ball because she was a girl. But she persisted and insisted, and today she is the first woman from Piauí to win an Olympic medal in football.
Having played for clubs such as Flamengo-PI, Tiradentes-PI, Rio Preto, Corinthians, and Orlando Pride, the forward has accumulated a series of achievements, and the Olympic medal was her highest aspiration.
Adriana was called up several times for the Under-20 Women’s National Team, preparing for the World Cup in that category. However, two months before the competition, in September of last year, she suffered a knee injury that sidelined her from the tournament.
In the Senior National Team, she was cut from the World Cup in France in 2019, just one day after the announcement, due to another serious knee injury. She spent 17 months recovering and training until she could wear the Amarelinha again.
In July 2021, before the Tokyo Olympics, a new injury to her left knee kept her off the call-up list.
There were many decisive moments when Adriana could not help the Brazilian National Team. But in Paris, she stepped onto the field. Game after game, she pushed through her pain to carry one of her greatest achievements around her neck: the silver medal.
