In her own words (definitely a Nike marketing ploy though):
That mentality allowed me to thrive on the pitch, but the thing is ... the games end, right? You still have to go home and sit with that. You can gain grit and determination from abuse, but I also needed role models. Female role models.
In Brazil, there was Marta, of course, and I could see my own experiences reflected in hers, but I was like, “O.K., who else is there?”
So, that’s when my dad went to Google and typed the words: best women’s soccer player ever.
And, right there on the screen, up popped Mia Hamm.
The ’99ers did their thing the year I was born, and Hamm had retired not so long after, so we missed watching that generation live. But thanks to YouTube, my dad and I became addicted to watching video after video. We watched everything. We studied her game but also the way the crowd reacted to her.
We saw entire stadiums full of people, screaming, “Mia! Mia!”
That’s a very powerful image for a young girl — even one sitting in Brazil, in front of the computer.
It wasn’t just her though. It was the whole USWNT team across generations: Abby Wambach, Hope Solo, Megan Rapinoe — these amazing, badass women — that the whole nation was getting behind. They could be themselves, represent what they wanted, stand up for what they believed in, and the crowd loved them for it.
The team was playing on another level and setting the bar in women’s soccer.
From as early as 10, I knew that this was where I needed to be. And so did my parents.
When I turned 12, I wouldn’t be allowed to play with the boys anymore. To avoid the risk of my talent ending up completely buried and, most importantly, to give my brother and me a better education and a better future, my family decided to take this incredible leap of faith.
I can’t pretend it all happened overnight, just like that, but America became our collective goal.
While my dad researched the best locations for me and my brother in this brand new world, it was decided that my mom would stay behind to provide for us — even if Brazilian reals couldn’t compare to dollars.
So, because of a dream that started with shooting drills with my dad and watching Mia on YouTube, we moved 5,000 miles away, to a new home, a new language, a new everything.