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Portugal Football Summit Podcast EP.08 | Kika Nazareth

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0:06Welcome to

0:07another episode of the Portugal Football Summit podcast.

0:10You know, there was a time when the idea of a Portuguese woman footballer

0:14becoming a genuine continental superstar felt like a distant ambition.

0:20But today, my guest is proof of how quickly

0:24that changed. Kika Nazareth started out on a futsal court

0:28in Lisbon before making a shift to 11 a side. By 16

0:32she was making her senior debut for Benfica. Six years and a domestic quadruple later,

0:38she left as the most expensive player in the history of Portuguese

0:42women's football, moving to FC Barcelona to test herself

0:46along some of the finest players the sport has ever produced.

0:51But Kika story isn't just about one player's rise.

0:54It mirrors the trajectory of women's football in Portugal itself,

0:58a sport that has gone from the margins to the mainstream.

1:02Today I want to explore not just the goals and medals, but the pathway itself,

1:06what it took to get there and what her journey tells us

1:10about where the women's game in this country is heading next.

1:14So please welcome our guest Kika Nazareth.

1:18Kika, absolutely fantastic to have you here on the Portugal Football Summit podcast.

1:22So much to talk about. ^Your career, your experience, your success so far.

1:28What's ahead? Let me start with your origin story.

1:30It's quite an original one

1:32because you started with futsal and then made the transition to 11 a side.

1:37So what was it about futsal that shaped the way

1:41you became a player and shaped the way you play today?

1:46First of all, thanks for having me

1:49and for the invitation.

1:50It's always a pleasure to to be part of this kind of

1:56conversations. I would say.

1:58Yes.

1:59I think playing, indoor soccer, futsal, shaped a lot

2:04my way of playing, my freedom, I would say.

2:08I think it's the most…

2:11my biggest ability.

2:14I would say, and that came from futsal because

2:19the game is faster.

2:20and I also played with boys, which made me

2:24think faster and made me be faster.

2:27And it's completely different.

2:30like, the field is different.

2:31Everything is smaller, and it makes you

2:38Feel that you have to be faster and faster.

2:41Like you don't have time to pause.

2:43You don't have time to relax a little bit.

2:45Like the game is always happening.

2:47And of course nowadays

2:50being a Barça player and is completely different because we have that kind of game.

2:53We stop, we relax, we see, we go,

2:57we play with time.

3:00But futsal made be like,

3:04I don't know, having this kind of freedom,

3:07I would say, I wouldn't think while I was playing when I was younger,

3:11I would just be free and be happy without rules because futsal is more

3:17everyone is everywhere.

3:19There's no center back, there's no midfielder.

3:22Left winger, whatever you want to say.

3:25Like,

3:26There's a lot of things happening at the same time.

3:28And I think that shaped me a lot.

3:31And, actually, I'm very grateful.

3:34Because playing

3:37futsal and playing with boys helped me a lot.

3:40And I'm where I am also, because of that,

3:45Having a look at how much you've grown as a player

3:48during the beginning of your career and what's happened

3:51with women's football evolving as well.

3:55How much has changed from the time that you were coming

3:58up, to the way it is now?

4:01When you look at women's football, the attention it gets, because I can tell you

4:04from the time I was growing up where you really didn't see many girls

4:08playing at all, to the way it is now, where you see them playing everywhere

4:12I can tell you definitely a lot has changed in my lifetime.

4:15So, how much has it changed during the beginning of your career and going back

4:19to the time you were a young girl, taking your first steps?

4:22There's been a lot of development, right?

4:25How have you seen it?

4:26What's even more special about my passion is

4:32being part of this transformation.

4:35Being part of this,

4:39process, being part of this

4:42new world.

4:43The way people look at us, the way people look at me as a person, as a football player,

4:49the way people look at my sport. Now

4:53people talk about us, now.

4:55society wants to talk about us.

4:57They want to know, what do I do?

4:59What do I eat, how do I sleep?

5:02How do I…

5:05They want to know about… they want to hear about us.

5:08They have some kind of interest.

5:10It's like interest regardin us.

5:13And it's

5:14of course, where there is attention

5:17sometimes… I love this attention.

5:20And I love that the attention that we are generating into the world,

5:25But at the same time, it's difficult for us to…

5:31Like people talk

5:32about us and it's like, for me

5:35three years ago, four years ago,

5:37I was just a child, a kid a girl playing football for passion.

5:40And now there's a lot of pressure around us, above us, behind us, everywhere.

5:46And it's beautiful being part of this transformation.

5:49as I was saying, but, well, there are always two sides of the story,

5:55so I'm going to go with the good side because

5:59I always try to see the things with good eyes, like,

6:04I think this is happening, this is growing up in a very natural way.

6:08I would say,

6:12If there's attention from people,

6:14the clubs, the teams, other people invest.

6:19And I think that's what's happening that is what's happening.

6:22Like, four years ago, no one would go to the stadium,

6:26I remember I've played against

6:29Sporting CP with a hundred people watching us.

6:33Nowadays, I’ve already played

6:35in Estádio da Luz with 35,000 people.

6:39I played the Champions League final with 80,000 people.

6:42And it's unbelievable how things are changing and how fast things are changing.

6:48And I think we have to be grateful, and…

6:54the Federation, of course, the national team,

6:57the clubs are putting a lot of money and putting, for me, a lot of effort.

7:02It's not everything about money. Like,

7:05of course, because it's also good for them.

7:07“Oh, we have a women's football team” and that makes them,

7:12I don't know, be a part of this world, but they are really honest and good people

7:16that care about this new generation and this new world.

7:20And the way,

7:24I don't know,

7:25it's one of the things that I'm most proud of

7:29is being part of this generation that is actually changing the world.

7:35Actually, I would never…

7:38I had never dreamed about being a football player.

7:42Things just happened.

7:44And for me that's the best thing.

7:45It was easy. Somehow it was easy!

7:50Everything was so fast.

7:53Everything is happening so fast

7:56because the world is helping,

7:59is helping me and helping the girls.

8:02We are also helping the future generations.

8:04And I think that's the beauty of football, because, I always say,

8:09For me, football.

8:10Football are the people, you know.

8:13It's not about me, it's not about Barcelona.

8:16It's about the way people look at football at women's football

8:21and the way people create connections between people.

8:26You know! You were talking about playing with love and everything happening.

8:32So fast.

8:33Everything happened really fast for you

8:36because at 16 you made your debut with Benfica.

8:40You said you never really dreamed of becoming a football player,

8:44but surely when you were going through the ranks and you were better

8:48than most of the other girls, and you were playing at the same level

8:52as a lot of the boys that had to cross your mind.

8:56Was that the moment then when you made it to Benfica,

8:59you played at the senior level

9:00so young that you thought, okay, I can do this as a career?

9:05This is what I'm really good at.

9:07And I want to pursue this path?

9:12I don't know if I can answer this question,

9:14not because I don't want to, but because I don't know when I realized.

9:19When did I realize that this was actually happening?

9:25I know, I'm aware of what's happening around me.

9:28I know myself a lot.

9:32I know what I'm capable of, but

9:36I realize that

9:39I can become a professional football player,

9:43and this can actually be my life and my passion

9:49can be my life at the same time.

9:51Like, I can mix this, and I can just enjoy life without

9:58worrying about, am I going to find a job?

10:02I'm going to be

10:03Am I going to be happy?

10:05I don't know, I actually don't know.

10:07When did I realize?

10:09And to be honest, of course

10:12I've been here for three years.

10:15I signed my first contract when I was

10:2016. I don't

10:22know, I don't know this kind of things, but realize…

10:26I think I haven't realized that I won a Champions League final.

10:31Like I don't think about this kind of things because

10:36maybe

10:38I don't know, I don't create expectations because

10:42I don't want to get upset if I don't achieve these kind of things.

10:46You know, I only say that I have a dream when I achieve it,

10:52when I live the dreams, you know what I'm saying?

10:55Like, I'm not very aware of my life.

10:59Sometimes, And that's why I'm so grateful.

11:01And that's why I live

11:04every day like it's the last day of my life, I would say,

11:08Because I don't know when this is going to and like, I don't know,

11:12I had, maybe, a conversation with my dad and with my mom,

11:184 or 5 years ago,

11:20I already had played with the national team, with Benfica.

11:24I was already an important person, player.

11:30in this environment, when I said,

11:35okay, this is actually happening, and my parents, they're like, yes.

11:41How are you managing it?

11:44How are we going to manage this?

11:48Because it's also difficult for the parents.

11:50But I don't know if I was really aware

11:53of what's happening, of what was happening at the time.

11:57Okay, well, I can confirm to you that you did win a Champions League final.

12:01I was there.

12:02I was there in Oslo, and I watched Barcelona do it.

12:07It was one year after you had lost the final

12:10here in Portugal in Alvalade stadium, which was amazing

12:14to see a full stadium here in Portugal for that game.

12:17Game you lost against Arsenal.

12:20So these experiences are happening.

12:22I can confirm that.

12:23And, you've got a long way to go.

12:26I mean, you're 23 now,

12:27so you must have lived a lot of experiences, and it's been very fast.

12:30But you've got a long way.

12:32You've got a long way to go.

12:34Do you see yourself as a as a face of Portuguese

12:39football, as a brand that is at the centre

12:43of what has been a development of the success of the national team.

12:48And, how do you deal with that?

12:52Yeah.

12:53Absolutely.

12:55At the beginning, maybe what was a little bit difficult for me to accept,

12:59because when it comes to importance,

13:05we are also talking about responsibility.

13:08And I didn't want to have this kind of responsibility, although I like the attention.

13:14But, you know what I'm saying?

13:17I like attention.

13:18I like to be important, but not that important.

13:24Not in this kind of situations, not in this kind of decisions.

13:29But I realized and here, yes, I did realize that

13:34I already have a name

13:37like people respect me, people respect our generation.

13:41But I think it's also difficult, but it's also good to admit that.

13:48I know who I am and I know

13:52What am I capable of outside of the pitch.

13:56And I know that I can, we can.

14:00But I know that I've changed some mentalities only

14:05for saying something to a kid, for saying

14:08something to a girl’s dad. I have

14:14I have a quick story.

14:16I once I was walking in the street near by my house

14:21and a man came and he said: thank you!

14:24And I was like: thank you?

14:26And he said: thank you for making me

14:29let my daughter play football

14:35and being happy, because you made me change my mentality.

14:39And the way I see women's football.

14:42I thought women's football was this, this, this and you just for being.

14:46you, made me change the way I see football

14:49and this is the most beautiful thing someone can hear.

14:54Like, it's not about the way I play.

14:55It's about being capable and being the power

14:59to change the world in this way, which is a beautiful way.

15:04Yeah.

15:05I always think that athletes have this incredible

15:10potential to have an influence on people's lives.

15:14Sport really, I think has the power to change the world.

15:18And a lot of the principles and values you see in sports,

15:21are really an example for society.

15:24Not always, but many times.

15:26So I know what you're saying.

15:29And all of this obviously comes as a result of your profile that you talk about.

15:34Obviously, the success you've enjoyed as a player,

15:37because the success has pretty much always been there.

15:40And going back to your days at Benfica

15:43and leading up to your move to Barcelona

15:47with Benfica, you won four league titles in six years.

15:51You won the domestic quadruple as well with the club,

15:56which earned you your move as well to Barça.

16:02How much of this success do

16:05you think is down to mentality

16:09and how much of it is down to talent and how much of it is down to hard work?

16:16So, good question.

16:21First of all,

16:22I think I'm still dealing with the question, what is it?

16:28What is success? Yeah.

16:31But I'm not going to, or we're going to stay here for the rest of the

16:36the day and you have to go back to your family.

16:41I also have to have dinner, but.

16:42Yeah, this is the first thing, like,

16:46am I doing okay?

16:48Am I having success?

16:49Have I achieved success? and it's difficult.

16:55Well of course, sorry to interrupt you, but of course you're having success.

16:59Because trophies are success representing the national team is success.

17:03Scoring goals. Yeah.

17:04For your club and country is a success.

17:06So I think for most people, the definition of success is there so far.

17:12But what allowed this to happen?

17:16Going back to those three kind of variables,

17:20the mentality, the hard work, the talent, they all have to be there.

17:23Right. But which ones are more important in your view?

17:27Yeah.

17:28Like, maybe many players have a different opinion.

17:32I think I'm a privileged, because I think I was born…

17:38I'm very insecure sometimes, but I know what I'm capable of,

17:43and I know that I was born with a talent, with something,

17:47when you're youngert that's enough

17:52because no one is Is physically stronger than you.

17:58No one cares about what you're doing.

18:04You're just happy. You play in the backyard.

18:07You play with no rules.

18:09So the talent is enough.

18:11And for me, the talent was enough until

18:18Maybe I was

18:20I don't know, maybe I'm wrong.

18:21but 13, 14, 15 years old.

18:25Okay. But then I realized

18:28there's a world beyond me.

18:31And there are rules and there are 10 more players or 21 players.

18:37And there's a coach.

18:39Talent is not enough.

18:41And then I met the hard work.

18:48Then I met the gym.

18:50Then I met discipline.

18:53Then I learned

18:57I learned the basics of being a professional athlete.

19:01Sleep well, drink well, eat

19:04well, rest.

19:06Priorities.

19:07And then we are talking about mentality also, because

19:12it's difficult.

19:13It's not about it's not all about the talent.

19:15It's not all about the hard work.

19:17I don't agree when personal trainers say that if you're not

19:23working hard, “gym is more important than what you do on the field”.

19:29No, I understand, I respect your opinion.

19:32but I disagree, because

19:35because if I can be, I can be a beast at the gym,

19:38But for me, because football for me is still

19:42freedom.

19:43And I think we are losing a little bit of that because nowadays

19:47everything is so about the numbers and we know how much we run, we know

19:52about this defender, which leg does he plays with.

19:56Yeah, I hate that.

19:59And for me it's a balance

20:03between these 3 things,

20:06talent, hard work and mentality.

20:08But for me, now that I'm at the top level,

20:13I know that I have the talent.

20:15I know that I'm working to be

20:18the best to

20:19play every game. Being mentally healthy

20:23is the most important thing

20:28And this may sound a little bit cliche

20:32because it's what we read in books.

20:35And maybe when I was younger, I didn't care

20:40much about this and I wouldn't

20:43care.

20:44I wouldn't give this

20:47that much importance.

20:49But now that I've been through stuff,

20:53now that I've been through difficult situations and tough situations, I realized that for me

20:58to be at my best level, I need to be fine.

21:03I need to be mentally healthy.

21:05I need to be happy.

21:07You're talking about developing

21:10and learning and evolving.

21:13How much did you have to adapt and evolve

21:19when you got to Barcelona after your years at Benfica?

21:25What impressed you the most?

21:27And what was the biggest challenge when you got there?

21:30I already knew that they were the best players.

21:33The biggest challenge. Yeah. Like, Adapt.

21:36It was difficult because I was used to Be!

21:45I was used to having this importance.

21:47I was used to lead a team and in this….

21:50And please don't get me wrong, like, not in a bad way.

21:54Yeah.

21:54You were a big fish in the small pond, and all of a sudden you go to a big pond.

21:58Yeah. And I need that.

22:01That's why I also came. Because I needed

22:05to have this kind of,

22:08different stimulation and different kind of

22:12training, session trainings and different kind of environment.

22:15Like, I want to go. I'm not saying Benfica is not, but, we have to be honest.

22:20Barcelona has the best players in the world.

22:22I'm not going to say no to Barcelona.

22:24I want to

22:26I need to give this.

22:27I need to give this step because I want to achieve more things that,

22:31at the time, Benfica wasn't capable.

22:35Maybe in one or two years.

22:39I'm not saying.

22:40And I hope that they they make it, but I needed this.

22:44And the biggest challenge was

22:48feeling, well, first of all, first of all,

22:52I felt lonely the first year.

22:57In Barcelona,

22:59because I was used to this environment at home with

23:02mom, dad, sister, friends and everyone.

23:06And then I went to a place where I would feel alone and I was close to Portugal.

23:12I'm close to Portugal, but at the beginning, I felt lonely

23:16because I needed this family and I didn't have this family.

23:21And I was always comparing.

23:22For I miss my friends, I miss this, I miss this, and then as a player,

23:27the biggest challenge was, of course, to adapt to the way Barcelona play.

23:32And I'm a Barcelona player,

23:37But at the beginning it's difficult because it's another

23:41rhythm, it's another velocity, it's another way of training.

23:46It's another mentality.

23:47It's another mindset.

23:50It's that and only that.

23:53And I wanted to laugh and I wanted to hug and I wanted to… Ño!

23:58It's football, football, football.

24:01And also I was one more

24:09I was just another one.

24:11I'm just one more.

24:12And I needed this, I needed this,

24:16I needed to fight.

24:19Because when I was in Benfica, I knew that

24:23Yes. Training: Having a good session,

24:26Having a bad session, [no matter what] I was going to play. And here.

24:29No, Here

24:30You need to work. In Benfica aswell.

24:31But yeah, it's a different level.

24:34It's a different level.

24:35I mean, you're playing with some of the world's

24:40best players, Best players in the world.

24:44Aitana, Alexia, many others,

24:47How was it sharing the pitch with them?

24:52What did you learn from them

24:55Most?

24:56First of all, I'm a

24:58much better player

25:00than I was before, of course, also in a mental way.

25:04But also, inside the pitch.

25:06Because if you train, if you practice with the best, you become a better player.

25:12Of course. It was also difficult because I would feel the pressure.

25:16I had the ball and if they would say, “Kika, pass to me”. “Okay,

25:22I do whatever you want”.

25:25And I think I also need to earn… and to win a little bit more of that

25:30Self…

25:33Like, selfish…

25:36I think I need to be more selfish in that way.

25:40But then you realize and you think it's Alexia.

25:44She's asking for the ball.

25:46You do whatever you want. You're the best player in the world.

25:49Like, I trust you- So I'm going to pass the ball.

25:51But this wasn't good.

25:53It's not their fault.

25:56It's my fault.

25:57But I learned a lot, a lot, a lot with them, because,

26:02besides,

26:04players, they are amazing players…

26:08And because I have this personality, I would ask them things.

26:12I would,

26:15talk to them about everything.

26:17And they have lived things that I've never…

26:21And I don't know if I will ever live.

26:24And they know.

26:25They know what they are saying.

26:27And just a small…

26:30They would just give me some advice

26:33and my day would change like, we are talking about the best players

26:38in the world, like, my mentality changed a lot. Yes.

26:44When you were growing up

26:46and even at this stage of your career,

26:49who did you model your game after?

26:52Who were you following more?

26:54Who are you following more right now?

26:58Whether it's girls or boys.

27:03Yeah.

27:04Now it's different.

27:05Now the girls look at us.

27:06Look at me like, Kika is my idol. Kika my…

27:10I think, fortunately or

27:12unfortunately, it depends.

27:15I didn't grow up.

27:18With the…

27:21Like looking at someone following someone's steps.

27:25I truly…

27:27And I'm not lying.

27:28I would just play for passion.

27:30Like, I wouldn't care about… I think,

27:33And this is bad and sad.

27:36The first women's football game that I watched

27:41was a Champions League game in Portugal in Restelo, still many years ago.

27:46And the second was maybe… * That was a final, no?

27:52That…

27:52Yeah, that was a final.

27:53Yeah, I was there too. * And the second, yeah...

27:56And the second was maybe

28:01in two thousand… I was already a football player.

28:05And this sounds sad and bad.

28:09But it's not because I didn't like football.

28:12And because I didn’t respect the girls.

28:14I just wanted to play football without following anyone's steps.

28:18It's my steps.

28:18Like, these are my steps.

28:21Not like…

28:24I would watch,

28:25of course,

28:25Benfica players in the men's team.

28:28Aimar was my biggest “love”, and Messi also.

28:34But Aimar because he was from Benfica, you know, and he was the number ten,

28:38a magician and he would do.

28:42crazy stuff.

28:43But even when I got to know more players, men and girls,

28:48I think I would never say

28:50I want to be like Alexia.

28:55Maybe now I want to.

28:58But when I was younger, I wouldn't think about that.

29:04You know, I don't know if this is good.

29:05If this is bad, I would just be me.

29:08And let my body do whatever it wanted to

29:12without following and without wanting to be anyone else.

29:17Because maybe if I couldn't

29:20one day be that person, I think that would be worse,

29:24because I think I would feel upset and sad, you know what I'm saying?

29:30I don't know.

29:30I understand you don't want to put the expectations way too high.

29:34I understand. * Yeah.

29:36My parents. * I have to say, my family.

29:41It's the easiest answer.

29:46Like they were my role models.

29:49That's

29:51a privilege to say you have that actually, if you think about it.

29:55Yeah, yeah.

29:56As we get to the end of the conversation here,

30:00I wanted to ask you,

30:04what are your goals for the rest of your career?

30:08So you're still in the beginning.

30:10Okay.

30:10Even though you've done a lot, things have happened very fast.

30:13You're 23, you've got a long way to go.

30:16So when you look at the future, what would you like to achieve?

30:18Whether that's at a personal level or at a team level

30:22with clubs or the national team with Portugal?

30:30At the national team level.

30:31It's easy to answer.

30:34I would love to,

30:37step by step, of course, but winning a World Cup.

30:42Winning a Euro’s that's easy, no?

30:47You want to be the best at your job.

30:51So, winning a World Cup, I can't even imagine,

30:55that feeling, I would party for the rest of my life.

30:59But of course, with the National team, that’s it.

31:04With Barça, I've won everything.

31:06So I want to keep winning.

31:08That's my goal.

31:09I want to keep winning.

31:12I want to win.

31:13Winning is also difficult because the more you win, the more

31:17responsibility you will find.

31:21And the hardest are the, the times when you lose.

31:25The harder. As a player.

31:30Yeah.

31:30I don't love to answer this, but as I was saying,

31:35I'm afraid of not having success.

31:39And I know that

31:41I am where I am, and this is success, but

31:47I've heard,

31:50since I remember,

31:55since forever.

31:57I heard a lot. You're going to win a Ballon d'Or.

31:59You're going to win a Ballon d'Or. You're going to win a Ballon d'Or.

32:04And, of course, I want to win a Ballon d'Or.

32:06Everyone, every player should, and must, like…

32:13if I want to be the best at playing cards or playing PlayStation.

32:17I want to be the best at doing my job.

32:21Every girl must want to be,

32:25of course, with the

32:28awareness.

32:29And that's the thing.

32:31That's where I want to get to.

32:36Do I just believe in this

32:38because I've heard the same thing for so many years?

32:42Or is this really a possibility?

32:46And I don't like to talk about this

32:49because I don't want to believe in something that maybe I want

32:54to achieve.

32:57And for me, I'm working.

33:00I have a psychologist.

33:01I'm working on this, and I'm being very open.

33:07For me.

33:11I'm young, and I still have time.

33:13But if one day I don't win the Ballon d'Or,

33:17am I going to be…

33:19am I going to feel that I didn't make it?

33:23And that's what I need to change.

33:24Because no… if I don't win by winning a Ballon d'Or…

33:29It's difficult because it’s a thing that it doesn't.

33:32that it doesn't…

33:33It depends.

33:33Only on you. * On me, you know?

33:36Yeah.

33:37So, yeah, of course it's a goal.

33:42It's a goal. It's my biggest goal.

33:43But I'm not…

33:47I don't know if

33:49I'm working to be the best player in the world,

33:53or if I'm working to be

33:56the most happy… the happiest person in the world.

33:59Because this sounds cliché, but I really think that

34:04the happier I am, the better I am.

34:09And if I achieve this level of happiness,

34:14but with talent, with hard work

34:18and with mentality,

34:21if it has to be, it will be.

34:23And I will win a Ballon d'Or.

34:25You know, I'm happy.

34:27Because if I'm not, no.

34:30If I have enough talent,

34:33I don't know.

34:34It's a goal, but it's not.

34:38It's not on my mind every day.

34:40Like, yeah.

34:42I train to win the game.

34:45I practice to win the game.

34:47I practice to win the competition.

34:51That's… I don't know, it's difficult.

34:53It's very difficult to deal with this pressure.

34:55And it's not your pressure. It's not my mum's pressure.

34:58It's not the media’s

34:58pressure.

34:59It's my own pressure, because I want to.

35:02And I somehow, deep inside, believe

35:05that maybe I can.

35:08But I don't know if this is real,

35:10you know? That's a good way to look at it.

35:13To kind of finish, to kind of close our conversation, I wanted to ask you,

35:18what's the best piece of advice that you can give to a young player,

35:24starting, you know,

35:26his or her path in the world of football

35:29that has the passion, that has the desire to make it

35:33what's the best advice you can give him or her?

35:38After what

35:39I've just said.

35:39I think it's easy.

35:40Happiness.

35:43For me it is the first choice.

35:46It's always the first choice to choose happiness and

35:50if you're really, really good

35:54and you're not happy and you're not playing and

35:59choose happiness.

36:01Like, sounds cliche.

36:02I think I'm going to write to book.

36:04We only live once.

36:08And I truly believe in this sentence.

36:10Like, we have to do things.

36:11We have to be courageous.

36:15We have to have the courage to make difficult decisions.

36:19We have to,

36:22I don't know.

36:23We have to be…

36:26We have to be ourselves.

36:27And we have to feel and do things that we feel.

36:31And I think

36:33we always have to choose happiness.

36:35And maybe we don't see that happiness

36:39the first minute, but

36:42happiness always and

36:45let your body also talk

36:49and respect your body and respect your mind and respect your

36:53your thoughts.

36:56I always say this just be you, be yourself

36:59and you shouldn't care about other people's opinions.

37:02This is very easy to say.but I'm the worst

37:03at this thing.

37:06But just be you.

37:07Because at the end of the day, you'll be only by yourself. Of course, with your family.

37:12Because for me, it's

37:14the most important thing.

37:17But be you.

37:18And feel free to choose happiness.

37:21You know,

37:23I think I got it, I think I got it,

37:25Kika, thank you for

37:29for spending some time with us for sharing your passion,

37:34sharing your story, taking us into

37:38what it's like to be

37:41a top player, but also to have an ambition to be happy

37:47and how you can achieve those two things at once.

37:51It really was great to get an opportunity to, you know, pick the brains of

37:56one of the best players on the planet and continued success

38:00with your life and career.

38:03Thank you.

38:05Thank you so much.

38:06That'll do it for another episode of the Portugal Football Summit podcast.

38:10It was a privilege to speak with one of the best players on the planet.

38:13So much success already in her career and I'm sure she has so much more

38:17to offer both for club and country, As always.

38:21A reminder to follow our channel

38:25to interact with our content and look ahead to another

38:30big exclusive interview heading your way very shortly indeed.

38:34So take care. See you again soon.

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