The third overall pick was surprised with a message from one of her country’s all-time sporting greats
One of the biggest days of Kamilla Cardoso’s life was made even more special by a video message from one of her country’s all-time sporting greats.
The Chicago Sky picked Cardoso third overall in the WNBA Draft on Monday, just a week after the center led the University of South Carolina to a NCAA championship.
In the aftermath of her selection, Cardoso, a Brazil native, was shown a message from Orlando Pride star Marta.
In the message, Marta said: “We are so proud of you, whole Brazil likes watching you and we can’t wait to see you shine again.”
Cardoso grew emotional upon seeing the message, saying: “I’m really happy, I’m a huge fan!”
Marta has been named the FIFA World Player of the Year a record six times, and played in six World Cups with Brazil. Even at 38, she’s still a vital player for the Pride, scoring twice in four matches in the 2024 NWSL season so far.
Neymar recently said he’d love to play alongside Lionel Messi once again
Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham posted a photo alongside Brazil superstar Neymar, but attempted to tamp down any speculation by saying that the meeting was “only for dinner.”
Given Miami’s recent track record of signing copious amounts of former Barcelona stars, Neymar would appear to fit the bill as an ideal addition for the Herons — roster rules notwithstanding.
Neymar added some fuel to the fire earlier this month when he told ESPN Argentina that he would love to once again play alongside Inter Miami star Lionel Messi.
“Hopefully we can play together again,” Neymar said. “Leo is a great person, everyone knows him in football and I think he is very happy and if he is happy, I am too.”
Neymar, 32, only signed with Saudi power Al Hilal last summer, and is currently recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in October.
Beckham also got some face time in with Neymar, posting a photo on Instagram with the forward and his wife Victoria. Knowing that the picture would likely lead to even more speculation, Beckham added the caption: “Welcome to Miami my friend (only for dinner).”
The two global powers meet in a high-profile friendly in Madrid
Spain will host Brazil on Tuesday in a showcase friendly at the Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid.
Both sides will be aiming to take home continental championships this summer, with Brazil participating in Copa América in the U.S. and Spain heading to Germany for Euro 2024.
Spain will be looking to end this international break on a high after losing 1-0 to Colombia on Friday in a friendly in London.
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Brazil, meanwhile, beat England 1-0 on Saturday, as 17-year-old Endrick stole the headlines with his first international goal.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the match.
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Two teams in the top five of FIFA’s rankings meet in a high-profile friendly
With both teams eying titles at major summer tournaments, England and Brazil will meet on Saturday in a high-profile friendly at Wembley.
England has come close at recent competitions, but the current generation of stars has yet to win a major trophy. The Three Lions will hope that changes at Euro 2024 this summer.
Brazil, meanwhile, will look to reclaim Copa América on U.S. soil after losing to Argentina in the 2021 final.
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The current international window will be the last one before the summer, making the match at Wembley crucial for both teams.
England will go into this match missing star striker Harry Kane due to injury, with Jordan Henderson and Cole Palmer also out injured.
England has beat Brazil just four times in 25 all-time meetings, with the last match between the two sides ending 0-0 in a 2017 friendly.
Following this match, both teams will close out the international break with another high-profile friendly. England will face Belgium, while Brazil will take on Spain at the Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the match.
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“For those who don’t know, Stevie Wonder is blind”
Grêmio head coach Renato Gaúcho was not happy after his team’s 4-4 draw against Corinthians on Monday night.
How unhappy was Renato? Let’s just call it “invoking Stevie Wonder’s lack of eyesight” unhappy.
The coach’s anger stemmed from a late penalty shout for his side that went uncalled, as Grêmio forward Ferreira’s cross hit Corinthians forward Yuri Alberto in the arm in second-half stoppage time.
The referee waved away Grêmio protests, and no VAR review was undertaken.
After his side was denied a late chance for a winner, Renato went off in his post-game press conference, catching the 73-year-old pop icon with a stray.
“It’s unacceptable that the penalty wasn’t given. The Corinthians players themselves said it was a penalty. I saw it in three seconds. The whole of Brazil witnessed this disgrace. Everyone saw it. Even Stevie Wonder saw that it was a penalty,” the coach charged, before helpfully adding: “For those who don’t know, Stevie Wonder is blind.”
"Acho que até o Stevie Wonder viu que foi pênalti. Para quem não conhece o Stevie Wonder, ele é cego."
The 31-year-old surpassed the all-time legend with his 78th and 79th international goals
Neymar has broken Pelé’s all-time Brazil men’s national team scoring record, netting his 78th and 79th career goals for the Seleção in a 5-1 win over Bolivia on Friday.
The record-breaking 78th goal came in the 61st minute of the World Cup qualifier in Belém, Brazil. Rodrygo got on the end of a cross and shifted around a Bolivia defender before being taken down, with the ball falling kindly for Neymar to slot home.
Neymar’s goal made it 4-0, with Brazil ultimately winning 5-1 after the forward added another goal late in stoppage time to reach 79 career international strikes.
The 31-year-old, who recently joined Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia, has set the record in 125 caps, with his record-tying 77th goal coming in a World Cup quarterfinal defeat to Croatia last year.
Though FIFA credits Neymar with owning the record, the Brazilian federation still insists that the late Pelé actually scored 95 goals for Brazil, not 77.
The discrepancy comes from matches Brazil played against club sides, which FIFA does not count as official games.
In any case, everyone can at least agree that neither Pelé nor Neymar is actually the all-time leading goalscorer for the Brazil national team. The holder of that honor would be Marta, who has 115 goals.
Marta may have played her final World Cup match, but she doesn’t see that as any reason to stop supporting Brazil or women’s soccer.
A stunning scoreless draw between As Canarinhas and Jamaica, the latest shock result in a tournament full of upsets, has ended the legendary Brazilian attacker’s tournament early.
Brazil entered this tournament as a threat to win the whole thing, which would have been the perfect storybook ending for Marta’s international career.
They started the World Cup off looking the part, capping off a 4-0 win over Panama with a gorgeous team goal that will not likely be matched as the tournament’s best. Next, they fell 2-1 to France in an electric atmosphere. Brazil played well in defeat, but that result meant they would have to beat Jamaica to get out of Group F.
The Reggae Girlz were considered longshots, but a third straight brilliant defensive effort got them the draw needed to advance for the first time ever. Just like that, an icon left the world stage for the last time.
(Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
Speaking in a post-game interview, Marta addressed the very mixed situation before her: a heartbreaking early exit, but also a tournament getting more attention than ever before, and a Brazil side that has started to show the benefits of more public support and investment.
“It’s hard to talk about this moment. Not even in my worst nightmares was it the World Cup I dreamed of. But, it’s just the beginning. The Brazilian people are asking for a renewal,” said Marta before gesturing towards her teammates. “There, is a renewal.”
At 37 and on a team packed with attacking talent good enough for any team in this World Cup, Marta had only played 20 minutes in Brazil’s first two games before starting against Jamaica. Up until very recently, that would have been unthinkable, but Marta would be the first to say that it’s because Brazil is getting better.
“I think I’m the only old lady [on this team]. Maybe [Tamires] is next to me,” joked Marta even as tears appeared in her eyes. “Most of them are girls who have a lot of talent who have a huge path ahead of them. It’s just the beginning for them. I’m done here, but they’re still here. And you asked for a renewal, there is a renewal.
“I want people in Brazil to continue to have the same enthusiasm they had when the World Cup started, to continue to support. Because things don’t happen overnight. We’re seeing here teams that came to the World Cup and took seven, eight, 10 [years], and they’re playing just like the big teams. This shows that women’s soccer has been growing. This shows that women’s soccer is a product that gives profit, that gives enjoyment to watch.”
“Keep supporting,” urged the most prolific goalscorer in World Cup history (women’s or men’s). “There is no more World Cup for Marta. I’m very grateful for the opportunity I had to play another World Cup. And I’m very happy with all that has been happening in women’s soccer in Brazil and the world. Keep supporting. Because for them, it’s just the beginning. For me, it’s the end of the line now. Thank you.”
Watch Marta’s emotional speech
"Keep supporting. Because for them it's just the beginning. For me, it's the end of the line now. Thank you."
“He was never coach of Italy. Why doesn’t he solve the problem of Italy?”
Brazil president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, better known as Lula, has questioned Carlo Ancelotti’s impending appointment as Brazil national team head coach.
Brazilian federation president Ednaldo Rodrigues said earlier this week that Ancelotti would take charge next summer after his contract with Real Madrid expires.
Ancelotti has had massive success at the club level but has never taken charge of a national team before. Additionally, he’ll be the first foreign manager of the Seleção since 1964.
It seems those issues may have struck a chord with Brazil’s president, who suggested that Ancelotti may have been better off trying to fix his own national team’s problems.
“He was never coach of Italy. Why doesn’t he solve the problem of Italy, which didn’t even play in the last World Cup?” Lula asked in an interview with SBT News.
Lula, a Corinthians fan, added: “It’s very easy to lead a team in Europe with 11 national team players. It’s hard to get here and get [relegation-threatened] Corinthians. I want to see if Ancelotti would fix Corinthians. My Corinthians are suffering a lot.”
Lula also had praise for Fernando Diniz, who has been appointed Brazil’s interim manager on a one-year deal.
On Diniz, who will also keep his role with Fluminense, Lula said he has “personality, creativity and command of the locker room” and believes he “will make good use of” his opportunity.
Brazil has not won a World Cup since 2002, and Lula believes that the coach is not what’s holding the South American power back.
“The problem is that we don’t have the quality of players that we had in other times,” Lula said.
The legendary player is set for her sixth World Cup this summer
Legendary Brazil attacker Marta has said that the upcoming World Cup in Australia and New Zealand will be her last.
The 2023 tournament will be the sixth World Cup for Marta, who recovered from a torn ACL suffered last year to make Pia Sundhage’s 23-player squad.
Speaking to reporters in Brazil on Monday, the six-time FIFA World Player of the Year said it was “surreal” to be on the verge of playing in her sixth World Cup.
“Yes, it will be my last World Cup,” the 37-year-old said. “We have to understand that a time comes for us to prioritize other things.
“I just have to be thankful to have lived all those years in the national team. To have the opportunity to go to another World Cup, a sixth one, for me is something surreal.”
Marta made her World Cup debut in 2003, and has the record for the most all-time goals in the tournament with 17. The closest she and Brazil have come to lifting the trophy was in 2007, when they lost to Germany in the final.
Following her recovery from the knee injury, Marta has made 11 appearances in the NWSL this season for the Orlando Pride.
After naming her roster last week, Sundhage said she was unsure if Marta would be used as a starter or off the bench at the World Cup.
“Marta is the queen, she is an icon. Just being around her is contagious,” said Sundhage.
“If she will be in the starting lineup I don’t know, not yet. She will play the role I will give her and I am sure she will do well.”
Lionel Messi may be getting the band back together at Inter Miami, but one of his former running mates is counting himself out.
After Messi’s bombshell confirmation this week that he will play for Inter Miami, various reports have linked three of his former Barcelona teammates with moves to join him in south Florida: Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and Luis Suárez.
The first two may still join Inter Miami but Suárez, currently with Brazilian side Grêmio, has ruled himself out of a move to MLS.
“This is false, it is impossible,” Suarez told Uruguayan newspaper El Observador about talk of him moving to Inter Miami. “I am very happy at Grêmio and I have a contract until 2024.”
Suárez joined the Porto Alegre team in December 2022, signing a two-year contract after leaving Nacional in his native Uruguay.
The 36-year-old has continued to find the net with regularity in Brazil, scoring 11 goals for Grêmio through 24 appearances.
