It is difficult to find a more important contributor to the North Carolina Courage’s two-year championship dynasty than Debinha. Working her magic in the heart of the midfield, Debinha has brought Brazilian creativity, skill, and an unmatched distribution ability to serve the likes of Lynn Williams, Kristen Hamilton, Crystal Dunn, and Jess McDonald of the Courage’s unstoppable front line.
A true football globetrotter, Debinha played in Brazil for Centro Olímpico, in Norway for Avaldsnes IL, and in China for Dalian Quanjian all before coming to the Courage in 2017. Debinha made a strong impact in the Norwegian Toppserien by becoming the leagues’ top scorer in the 2014 season.
Debinha has been a crucial member of the Brazilian national team since 2011. To date, she has scored 34 goals in 97 appearances for Brazil on the international stage. Debinha started all four games of the 2019 Women’s World Cup, notching one assist. Especially as Marta continues to age, Debinha is coming into her peak and will be primed to fill in as her replacement in the coming years for the Brazilian women.
Debinha has been a vital part of the Courage’s back-to-back championship campaign in 2018 and 2019 as well as making an immediate impact during her first season in 2017. Over those past three seasons, Debinha played in 69 games, scored 23 goals, and slotted 11 assists. Additionally, Debinha was named to the 2018 NWSL Second Best XI.
The Challenge Cup has offered a breakout moment for Debinha. Already in the past three games, she has been one of the top performing players. Racking up a goal and an assist within the first three games, Debinha has brought her best to the tournament. Her craftiness, movement off the ball, and perfectly timed runs into open spaces between opposing defenders have tormented the Courage’s challengers throughout the past few games. With Sam Mewis and Denise O’Sullivan holding defensive midfield positions, Debinha and Dunn have been able to freely interchange and create goal-scoring opportunities in perfect harmony, helping to solidify the Courage’s continued dominance in the Challenge Cup.
Debinha is undoubtedly one of the most unpredictable and skilled midfielders in Utah right now. Look to her to continue scoring and creating opportunities at the heart of the field for North Carolina.
By Anna Goorevich