Diany Aparecida Martins Xavier

Midfielder • Age 37 • #8

Diany Aparecida Martins Xavier is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a midfielder.

Photo: Instagram | dianymartins8

Fun Facts about Diany Aparecida

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Diany was born in Rio de Janeiro and started her sporting journey in futsal, playing for Sport Club Mackenzie. She only transitioned to outdoor football at around 20 years old.

Diany served in the Brazilian military and spent seven years representing the Brazilian Military National Team, winning multiple Military World Games titles.

Although she earned senior Brazil call-ups, much of her international success came with Brazil's military and university teams, where she became one of the squad's key midfielders.

She studied Production Engineering while playing professionally. Her university studies also made her eligible to represent Brazil at the Summer Universiade, where she helped the country win gold.

Winning the 2022 Bola de Prata was especially meaningful because ESPN noted she had overcome early family doubts about pursuing football, eventually becoming one of the country's best players in her position.