Formiga played in her final international match with the Brazilian national team on Thursday, but only saw the field for a mere 15 minutes.
When asked why she didn’t start the legendary midfielder, national team coach Pia provided the following statement:
“The reason Formiga played 15 minutes is because she is not the future of the national team,” she said. “And we have to build that future. She played and almost scored, it was an incredible 15 minutes.”
The 43-year-old has competed in seven World Cups and seven Olympics, both of which are world records. At the Tokyo Olympics in July, she became the first player to compete in seven Olympic Games, having played in every Olympics since women’s soccer’s debut in 1996.
For her final game, Formiga’s mother, Dona Celeste, flew to see her make her final appearance. Celeste, who is afraid of flying, had reportedly never seen her daughter play in person before.
⚠️ This is emotional!👩👧 A mother, who is terrified of flying, has never seen her daughter play live. Today Dona Celeste faced her fears and flew to Manaus to see Formiga make the final appearance of her extraordinary Brazil career 💛♾ #FormigaEternapic.twitter.com/fNCcb3cWp5— FIFA Women's World Cup (@FIFAWWC) November 25, 2021
⚠️ This is emotional!👩👧 A mother, who is terrified of flying, has never seen her daughter play live. Today Dona Celeste faced her fears and flew to Manaus to see Formiga make the final appearance of her extraordinary Brazil career 💛♾ #FormigaEternapic.twitter.com/fNCcb3cWp5