Sara Caiazzo

One of her earliest football memories is asking her mother for shoes with tacchini—the Italian word for turkeys—when she was actually trying to say tacchetti, meaning football studs.

Wendie Renard became her main role model in women’s football, while Kaká and Zinedine Zidane were her favourite inspirations from the men’s game.

Caiazzo played in a boys’ team until she was 11, when she received the opportunity to join an Under-15 girls’ side in Campania.

Her advice to young girls is built around ambition, perseverance and avoiding future regrets rather than allowing fear to dictate their choices.

Caiazzo played the guitar while simultaneously managing schoolwork and an increasingly demanding football schedule.