I started playing football when I was 7 or 8 years old after my brothers had agreed to let their little sister join in their games. I'm from a very small town and at that time no other girls played football in my town. People said football wasn't for women and my family shouldn't let me play. They also said I wouldn't make it, and that I wasn't good enough.
As a child, I didn't really understand why people were so against me playing when I could play it well! I fought back by showing my talent (天赋) on the streets.
My greatest inspiration was my mother. We came from a poor family; my mom separated from my dad when I was less than a year old and she raised four children on her own. She worked all day, had little time to spend with us, but she never gave up. I found my strength from her to keep going.
Every win is important for me, from the time when I was playing in amateur (业余的) teams among the boys to the first win as part of the Brazilian national team, and now. I remember when I went back to my town in 2006 after winning the award for the best female player in the world. When I arrived, it was nearly midnight and the whole town was awake, waiting for me. I got into a fireman's truck and people were waving. That achievement could happen because I hadn't given up that first moment I heard a "no".
Sport changed my life completely. It gave me the opportunity (机会) to help my family, meet other people, see other countries and experience other cultures. Sport is a tool for empowering girls, because it gives you the opportunity to do what you want and learn to respect the differences between people.
For me, it's a great honor to be a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador (亲善大使). Today, I am here to use my story to inspire many more girls and women and to create opportunities so that next generation doesn't have to go through what I did.
