Telma Encarnação

Forward • Age 25 • #9

Telma Raquel Velosa Encarnação is a Portuguese footballer who plays as a forward. She has represented Portugal at senior and youth international level, from U16 to U23.

Photo: IMAGO | Ball Raw Images

Fun Facts about Telma

Discover more than stats. Get more of who she is.

She grew up in Bairro das Malvinas, a neighbourhood in Câmara de Lobos, Madeira, where she played football barefoot in the streets.

She couldn't afford a football, so she practised shooting by kicking a deflated basketball against a wall. She believes the heavy ball helped develop her powerful shot.

When she began earning money from football, she asked Marítimo to spend her first wages on supermarket shopping for her family rather than give her the cash.

She once met Dolores Aveiro, Cristiano Ronaldo's mother, while walking along the seafront in Funchal. Dolores encouraged her to pursue her dreams beyond Madeira, advice Telma never forgot.

She was fast asleep when Cristiano Ronaldo unexpectedly arrived at Portugal's national football training centre. A phone call woke her with the news that her idol wanted to meet the players and take photographs.

Despite her impressive scoring record, she has said she isn't obsessed with reaching a particular career goal tally. Her philosophy is simple: focus on the ball, the goal and winning the match.