An unexpected call-up, but one that made a childhood dream come true. For Carol Gil, that was how her experience of wearing the Brazil jersey began. The day after winning the Brazilian Women’s A1 Championship with São Paulo, the center-back was resting when she received a phone call that would change her life.
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“Cleo (São Paulo’s director of women’s football) had been trying to call me all morning. I woke up to 30 missed calls from her and thought I’d done something wrong. I wasn’t expecting the call-up. When she told me, I started crying and thanking God, because this has been my dream since I was little. I’ve always hoped to be here, to do the national team proud. I’m living my dream,” she said.
Carol was called up to replace fellow center-back Thais Ferreira, of Corinthians, who withdrew from the squad due to discomfort in her left knee that limited her movement. The opportunity came at a special moment for the defender, who had just won the biggest title in Brazilian women’s football wearing São Paulo’s colors.
Carol Gil gave an exclusive interview to CBF TVCredits: Samara Moumei/CBF
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In an exclusive interview with CBF TV, Carol recalled her first steps in football at a football school in her hometown of Cosmorama, in the interior of São Paulo state. Her search for an opportunity took her to southern Brazil, where she attended a trial and found an open door at Internacional to pursue her dream of becoming a professional player.
At Internacional, the center-back progressed through the youth ranks and stayed until 2023, when she moved to São Paulo. Years after that first opportunity, she joined the Brazilian national team as a national champion, ready to begin a new chapter in her career.
“When I found out I’d passed the trial at Internacional, I called my mother and said, ‘I’m not leaving, because this is where I want to stay. This is my dream, and I want to make it come true,'” she recalled.
Throughout that journey, Carol had people by her side who believed in her potential and encouraged her along the way. So the news of her call-up was greeted with just as much emotion by those who had closely followed every stage of her story. As she recalled the reactions of her family and her first football coach, the defender became emotional again.
Carol Gil was overcome with emotion during the national anthem at Beira-RioCredits: Sam Robles
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“I called my dad and my mom right away and told them. They started crying. I also called my coach back in Cosmorama, Márcio. He always believed in me. When I told him I’d been called up, he started crying too. Everyone cried tears of joy because they knew this was my true dream,” she said.
Carol herself was also overcome with emotion when the time came to represent Brazil. Before the first friendly against Argentina at Beira-Rio in Porto Alegre, the image of the center-back with tears in her eyes during the national anthem captured what that moment meant. More than a new professional opportunity, it was the fulfillment of a dream she had cherished since childhood.
The women’s national team returns to action on Tuesday (13) at 8:30 p.m. at Arena de Pernambuco, in the Recife metropolitan area, for the second and final friendly of this FIFA international window. The match between Brazil and Argentina will be broadcast live on SporTV and GE TV.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.
