Opinion – Renata Mendonça: Clube do Paraná imposes a millionaire fine to ‘arrest’ a sub-17 player

Every boy’s dream is to be a football player. Of the millions who dream, few actually achieve it. And even fewer manage to turn that dream into millions (of euros or reais in those astronomical transactions that only elite men’s football provides).

Being a player today is already a possible dream for girls, but still not worth millions – in most cases. Their football market is still consolidating, and there are no figures comparable to men’s football.

In this sense, one case stands out. A very promising striker is shining in the U-17 South American Championship with the women’s team and is already attracting international attention. Ingrid, or rather Jhonson, as she became known, is only 16 years old and is the competition’s top scorer, with 9 goals. More than a goalscorer, she is a complete striker: physically strong, she wins easily in disputes with defenders, is skillful and puts her teammates in front of the goal.

Jhonson plays for Toledo, in Paraná. A modest club, with little projection in women’s or men’s football. It was to be imagined that, with so much talent, she would attract the attention of the main clubs in Brazil and the world and would soon wear the shirt of one of them. But it is unlikely that the attacker will be able to disassociate herself from the team from Paraná. The professional contract signed earlier this year only earns her the minimum wage, but the contract runs until 2025 and carries a million-dollar fine.

Toledo is asking for US$10 million (approximately R$54 million) for European clubs that want to take it and US$2 million (approximately R$10 million) for national teams. And there was no shortage of offers to hire her. But the million-dollar fine rules out any possibility of a transaction at this time.

To give you an idea, the biggest deal in women’s football was that of Pernille Harder, one of the best players in the world, who was signed by Chelsea after having had a successful career at Wolfsburg. The amount paid was 300 thousand pounds (about R$ 2 million).

In the case of 16-year-old athletes, not yet “trained” in professional football, the women’s football market is still shy. Even because the female base is still under development in Brazil (with a lot of delay, by the way), these transactions with younger players are starting to happen now and, in general, they do not involve exorbitant amounts like these requests by Toledo.

Jaime Lira, coach of the club from Paraná and responsible for Jhonson’s millionaire contract, knows that these values ​​are incompatible with women’s football. “This is to protect her from the sharks. She’s already trapped here,” said the coach, who says he doesn’t want to “make money” with the athlete because he doesn’t need it. Asked why, then, he had stipulated such a high fine, he says: “Women’s football is not at that level yet, but the club can win”.

Toledo played only one youth competition in 2021 (the Brazilian under-18). Without playing, she could be out of the under-17 selection, because the athletes called up need to be playing in the base tournaments (which are not many anymore) to follow the training process.

Jaime agrees that other Brazilian clubs, such as Internacional, Ferroviária and São Paulo, for example, have a better structure than Toledo to develop the base of women’s football. But it reinforces that Johnson wants to stay there. And he considers her presence in the state important to inspire other girls in the region.

With indisputable talent, Jhonson continues to shine in the U-17 South American Championship. But, apparently, it will be a while before we can see her shine in the main clubs in Brazil and the world. The “sharks” of women’s football are on the loose.