With a background that includes two World Cups, a Pan-American Games and two Olympics (2016 and 2021), defender Rafaelle is one of the most experienced players in the Brazilian National Team that will compete in the Paris Olympic Games. Because of this, she has an additional role on the team – to help provide calmness to the younger players.
She admits the anxiety for the start of the competition and emphasizes that Brazil’s opening game on the 25th, against Nigeria, is very important.
“The girls who will compete in the Olympics for the first time feel a little more intense butterflies in their stomach. There is always a weight, but it’s one step at a time. That’s what I always tell them: we have to get the first pass right to gain confidence and build our result in the game,” said Rafaelle.
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With the authority of someone who maintains high-performance performance with the Orlando Pride, in the US Women’s Soccer League, Rafaelle warns her teammates to avoid haste at the beginning of the matches during the Paris Olympics.
“It’s no use trying to solve it in the first 10, 15 minutes because the game is 90 minutes. Today, even with VAR, and all the added time, each match goes to 100 minutes.”
Rafaelle commented on the great moment of the Orlando Pride and the Brazilian athletes, like her, who play for the American club.
“We are living a special moment in the club and this is very good for the National Team, as it favors the integration on and off the field. We want to pass this joy on to the team, which is becoming more and more synchronized. I see this in the training sessions here at Granja Comary. I feel our team is geared up for the competition.”
