Maria Nogueira

She comes from Garça, a city in the interior of São Paulo state, and started playing football in a social project when she was just five years old.

Football runs in the family. Her mother also played the game and supported Nogueira's ambitions from the beginning.

At nine, she switched to girls' futsal with Sejel Esportes, where she stayed until she was 13.

Her mother promised that if Nogueira scored twice in a Paulista match, she would give her the younger sister she had always wanted. Nogueira scored both goals, celebrated by rocking an imaginary baby, and later even chose her sister’s name, Manuela.

Her 2024 Paulista U17 season combined a team title with the Golden Boot, as she scored 10 goals in only nine appearances.

Prayer is part of her preparation for important matches. Before her first official Brazil U20 start, she prayed for a goal because she had gone a long time without scoring. That prayer was followed by two goals.