Current champion, the women’s team of Botafogo begins the journey to defend the Carioca Championship title this Saturday, at 3 p.m., at the Nilton Santos stadium. The Gloriosas face the Tigres, first opponent in the search for another cup, won in 2022 against Flamengo. Speaking of rivals, a famous red-and-black player will now compete in the black-and-white state championship: 27-year-old Canadian goalie Kelly Chiavaro.

The athlete arrived in Brazil in July 2022, when she and striker Sole James, her girlfriend of three years, decided to leave Emek Hefer, the team they defended in Israel. This is her first professional experience, since she only developed it in college, following a scholarship she received in the United States.

– I went through all the possible categories of Canadian football, but I realized that the sport there was not evolving, that there was not much room to evolve, and it’s still like Today, there is no professional league. So when I got to college, I won a scholarship to play women’s soccer in New York, at Colgate University – she said, having been encouraged to play the sport since the age of two years.

One of the reasons I decided to come to Rio de Janeiro was my passion for the sea and the beauty of the city. Plus, the opportunity to meet new people and Brazilian culture. But the city brought a gift: Sole is pregnant with Aurora, which is why she left the field for a while to focus on the pregnancy.

There is almost five months of pregnancy, conceived by artificial insemination considered a “miracle” due to its complexity. This procedure was a desire of both men, who dreamed of having someone to share football stories with from around the world, while they played.

– It will be something incredible. I have no words to describe how emotional we are – he said.

At Flamengo, Kelly’s passage was quick and left the feeling that she could have helped more. She only played one match, in the 34-0 victory over Rio São Paulo, in the fourth round of the Carioca, but guarantees that her time at Gávea served her personal maturity. The departure of the red and black team allowed it to arrive in Botafogo.

– Botafogo is a very organized and professional team. I train a lot and I see a big improvement compared to when I arrived. The environment is great, I adapt better with the language and with my teammates. I feel very good about playing – she says, who has healthy competition with goalkeeper Yasmim, one of those responsible for access to the A1 Series this season.

This Saturday begins the search for the second championship with Botafogo. Now at Glorioso, he can’t wait to reunite with his rival and, who knows, to lift the trophy with his daughter in his arms.

– Things will not always go as we planned or imagined (early departure of Flamengo). It happened and move on. And all this led me to be in Botafogo today, where I am very happy. If I find Flamengo in Carioca, I will play with the desire that I have always had, in all the teams I have played for. I’m in Botafogo and I want to focus on now.

Below are other topics Kelly covered in an interview:

I’m still learning (laughs). Portuguese is one of the most difficult languages ​​in the world and it is normal that it takes a little longer. However, I can now speak and understand well, but I encounter some difficulties, this is natural. It is in practice and day by day that I improve.

Expectations for Carioca

We have a good team, but it is a very difficult competition. The competitiveness will be very high and I know we have to be well prepared for it. It will be a big challenge and I am excited to play and be part of our team’s campaign.

Relationship with Yasmine? How do you see the competition for the position?

Yasmim and I have a very good relationship. It’s healthy competition, so to speak. We motivate ourselves every day, we know that if we do our best it will help us evolve together. Of course we both want to play, but we encourage each other and try to bring out the best in each other. I think when the relationship between goalkeepers is bad, it can ruin everything. So it’s very important that we have a good relationship and I’m happy that she and I really have that.

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