Cristiane: in brazilian’s soccer there is more than one star

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The Women's World Cup France 2019 was possibly the last one that the 'canarinha' team had with its two great gunners

Leer en español: Cristiane: en el fútbol femenino de Brasil hay más de una estrella

Brazil was eliminated from the Women's World Cup France 2019, but beyond its participation, the goalscorer Marta (its main figure in the last 15 years) is the one in the spotlight after having played her last World Cup. However, almost at the same time, there was another very important player in the Amazonic team, belonging as the same generation as Marta and who also said goodbye to the World Cup. We are talking about  Cristiane.

Telemundo Washington highlights that Cristiane, is the third highest scorer of the Brazilian team just behind Marta and Pelé , and that remains today, the top scorer regarding to the Olympic Games.

Cristiane, 34, became the top scorer of her country in France 2019 with 4 goals , while Marta, became in the same tournament the leading scorer in the history of the FIFA World Cups, with 17 goals, leaving behind the record of the German Miroslav Klose, who scored 16 goals.

Also read: Christiane Endler: the goalkeeper who triumphs in the Women's World Cup

A strong character

Cristiane shows her strong character, in contrast to Marta who has been characterized by being conciliatory. In an interview with EFE, she said: "It's no use looking at women's football with that look of 'Oh, but this does not give a financial return, it's boring, nobody follows it …'" , in the middle of her presentation as a player of Sao Paulo. The attacker also confessed to Telemundo Washington her approval because "the industry looked at women's football as it should have always been seen and without prejudice".

Her first name is Cristiane Rozeira de Souza Silva, runner-up of the World Cup in China 2007 , and who said that for the guild "it is a very big emotion to see a stadium full as in the match between Atlético de Madrid and Barcelona in the Wanda Metropolitano ", and that must be taken into account by the authorities, that commitment gathered 6 thousand 739 spectators in a historic meeting.

For the two-time runner-up and top Olympic goalscorer, the "great victory" of those two Spanish clubs should be an example for Brazil, a giant in men's football, but that does not have the same evolution in terms of sports or television interest in the female modality. De Souza, has already worn the shirt of Santos and Corinthians in his country, and others of European brilliance as Wolfsburg (Germany), Paris Saint Germain (France) and also in Chicago Red Stars (United States).

"Why could not it happen here? We can also do that," claimed , with recent experience at Changchun Yataí , and who preferred to return to the league of her country, rejecting offers from the Women's Champions League finalists : Olympique Lyon and Barcelona. For Cristiane, EFE closes, a pending issue of the leadership, is to end the wage inequality, very remarkable between men and women. In this regard, she said: "There are people who say that women's football does not give money, but sometimes it is because there is no initial investment, long-term planning . "

A good world

In France 2019, as we said, her numbers were better than Marta's. The veteran striker scored the first hat-trick of the championship in what was the debut of the Amazonic team against Jamaica. Brazil thrashed Jamaica, lost to Australia, and then beat Italy by the minimum to advance with six points as one of the best third. Although they played with the favorite and host France, the team went down 2-1 in the round of 16 match, which ordered his elimination, said As .

That day against the Central Americans, As.com recalled, Cristiane made us forget, the then injured, Marta, and showed why she has played in eight countries, played five World Cups and four Olympic Games. Also why she played in the U19 national team with only 15 years, why she participated in two World Cups of that division, and why she was South American champion in 2003.

In 2004 she participated in her first World Cup, being a substitute and having a few minutes. It was her first World Cup experience and she was only 18 years old. That same year, she attended her first Olympic Games, in which she hung the silver medal scoring five goals and being the maximum artillery of the tournament.

2004 was her first great professional year. She hung the Olympic silver in Athens and was the scoring leader. The artillery made the leap to Europe quickly that same year, reinforcing the ranks of Turbine Potsdam of Germany. From there, she jumped into Wolfsburg, having a great debut with 7 goals in his first season. She won the League and the cup.

In the 2007 World Cup she looses the final. After that event, she emigrated to Europe to play in Sweden with the Swedish Linkopings. Then came the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, where she repeated as the top scorer with five goals. Her last two international experiences were with PSG two seasons and with Changchun Zhuoyue of China. It seems that the end came. It will be difficult to see a duo like the one she formed with Marta.

Finally, El País reported that Cristiane was established as the leading scorer in the history of women's Olympic soccer by scoring her fourteenth and fifteenth goals in the edition of Rio de Janeiro 2016, against China and Sweden respectively, in the group stage. Brazil, was fourth in that edition. At that time, Cristiane played with WFC Rossiyanka of the Russian League . Today, after four goals scored in France 2019, she accumulates in both competitions 26 goals, 15 and 11 respectively, ended El País. Numbers that proved that she needed to be taken into account as much as Marta and before the Olympic Games.

LatinAmerican Post | Onofre Zambrano

Translated from: "Cristiane: en el fútbol femenino hay más de una estrella"