Team tests renewal capacity in tournament without Marta, Formiga and Cristiane

Of the 23 Brazilian players who compete in the women’s Copa América, in Colombia, 18 of them debut in the competition in which Brazil is the biggest winner, with seven conquests in eight editions.

Names like Angelina, 22, and Duda Sampaio, 21, represent part of the team renewal process started by Pia Sundhage after the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

In addition to looking for new technical options, the Swedish coach works to form new leaders who can continue the trajectory established by Marta, Cristiane and Formiga.

For almost two decades, the three were the mainstays of the selection, but, for the first time since 2003, when the trio formed, none of them is in the fight for the continental cup. With them, Brazil has lived a long period of conquests and expressive results.

Together, they won the gold medal at the Pan-American Games in Rio de Janeiro, in 2007, the same year they finished runner-up in the World Cup, in China. They also won two silver medals, at the Athens Games, in 2004, and Beijing, 2008. There were three Copa América titles in the period (2003, 2010 and 2018), always with at least one of the three on the field.

For the future of the team, only Marta is still in Pia’s plans. Formiga retired in November 2021. Cristiane was left out of the squad for Tokyo and hasn’t had a chance since.

Marta, on the other hand, is still the owner of the number 10 shirt for Brazil, but was unable to go with the team to Colombia because of a knee injury. At 36, she has an uncertain future.

“For me, it was a pleasure to be close to them. [Formiga, Cristiane e Marta]. Unfortunately, Marta is injured, but it gives the team a chance to do something different.”

The Swede knows the weight that the player – who has been named the best in the world six times – still has for her squad. However, she already sees new leaders. “We just need to be patient to wait for them to move forward.”

At this point, defender Rafaelle, 31, full-back Tamires, 34, and forward Debinha, 28, stand out.

“The issue of leadership is well divided. It depends a lot on the sector”, says Rafaelle. “I don’t think there is this leader like the figure of Marta. She is absent, we are well divided in this leadership”, she adds.

So far, it has worked. Brazil leads Group B, with six points from two games, after victories over Argentina (4-0) and Uruguay (3-0). This Monday (18), take Venezuela, at 18:00 (Brasília time). Before ending the first phase, they will also face Peru, on Thursday (21).

Despite the good results, the Brazil coach is not satisfied. She did not approve of the players’ performance in the last match. “I didn’t like the game, Uruguay did their job very well, they tried to make our game difficult. I didn’t like our performance, we have to improve,” she said. “We lost the ball many times, we had no connection and we gave our opponents a lot of space.”

Even with the criticism, Brazil continues without being leaked in the competition. And it has as top scorers Adriana (4), Debinha (2) and Bia Zaneratto (1). Debinha, Zaneratto, Luciana, Rafaelle and Tamires are the only ones who had already competed in the competition, which guarantees places for the 2023 World Cup and the 2024 Olympic Games.

With the support of these more experienced athletes, youngsters like Angelina and Duda Sampaio, important parts of the new midfield, who were not long ago in the base selection, have stood out.

“I’ve already created within myself a certain leadership, a freedom to be able to speak on the field and outside as well. I try to bring what I learned at the base to the main team”, said Angelina.

With the proximity of the next cycle of the Cup and the Olympics, the emergence of new pieces like her was more than necessary. However, for Renata Mendonça, columnist for Sheet ​a specialist in women’s football, this process took a long time to begin.

“The truth is that we are not prepared to form other Martas, Cristianes or Formigas”, he says. “The investment in the female base started just three years ago. We lost talents to the American team, as is the case of Catarina Macario who, without the opportunity to play in Brazil, moved to the United States.”

Renata still hopes to see Marta back in the national team, but highlights the importance of the current players having more protagonism to guarantee the future of the national team and the category. “These cycles need to happen for the development of women’s football in Brazil.”