Ana Vitória highlights happiness at Corinthians and reveals goals for her second spell at the club

- By Henrique Pereira / Central do Timão Editorial

Midfielder Ana Vitória gave an interview to the portal Meu Timão and spoke about various topics involving her second spell at Corinthians. The midfielder commented on his return to the club after seven years playing in Europe, projected objectives for the season, analyzed the change in technical command, recalled the recovery period from a concussion and revealed his expectation of playing for the first time at the Neo Química Arena wearing the black and white shirt.

When talking about returning to Parque São Jorge, Ana Vitória admitted that she always had the desire to return to Corinthians since leaving the club to play in European football. According to her, the departure happened too soon and left the feeling that there was still a lot to live for with the black and white shirt.

Photo: ©Cris Mattos / Ag. Corinthians

"I left here very young, that's what I said at the time (at the presentation press conference), and I left with the feeling that I had more to live here. I didn't know if one day I would be able to return, tomorrow we never know, but I always had that desire. And today, I think that since my return, the most memorable experience, without a doubt, was the World Cup, which we were so close to winning there. And after that, we also had some very interesting challenges. It's just a shame that we still haven't managed to play the classics even in the our home. I mean, we played against São Paulo, but against Palmeiras, I'm still excited for us to play at our home", began the player.

When asked what his main objectives are in this new spell at Corinthians, the number 17 was direct in highlighting his ambition to win all possible competitions: "The titles, obviously. There's nothing to talk about. Copa do Brasil, Brasileiro, Paulista, Libertadores. All of them that can. If it could be all of them", he continued.

Another topic discussed was the change in the technical command of Brabas, which was now led by Emily Lima. Accustomed to changing coaches throughout her career, especially during her time in Europe, Ana Vitória highlighted the need for constant adaptation on the part of the athletes.

"I think these changes exist in football, right? I'm a little used to them. In recent years I've lost count of how many coaches I've had. At Atlético de Madrid alone I had three, at PSG I had 2, at Benfica I had less. So change is something that happens, we always have to adapt and, now, also answering the question of difference, each coach has his own game model. Not just his system. When I talk about game model I'm talking about the approach that the one who is The athlete has to understand the situations. In my case, for example, there are coaches who ask you to protect the area more, there are coaches who ask you to jump more, to bite more, and you always have to be very attentive to the information to perform in the best way possible", said Ana Vitória

The midfielder also recalled the concussion suffered while he was available for the Brazilian team. The injury ended up preventing her from working in Mato Grosso, her home state. Despite the initial frustration, the player explained how she faced the recovery process. Afterwards, she detailed the impacts that the injury had on her daily life and celebrated her return to the field without limitations.

"I think the word is natural, right? Because then, it's natural for you to be sad. So, within this scenario, I was very sad at first. Even at the beginning we didn't think it would be so serious, right? Because the first symptoms weren't that strong. They even took me to do the exam more because of the pain behind my neck, which was the strongest symptom I had of confusion. I thought it would be something quick. When I realized that it wasn't that quick, I started getting frustrated. But soon Then too... We already have to change the key and now, step by step, I have to focus on my recovery so that I don't have any after-effects. A problem that drags on, which is the biggest danger in these cases, right? If you don't treat it correctly and then you end up with symptoms and they are symptoms that really get in the way," he commented.

"I had no idea about this, not just in football, not just in training, which really gets in the way, about reflexes, which is weird, which is bad, but also in everyday life, things like that. So, quickly, and naturally, as we always do, we get sad at the beginning of the injury, but soon after, we focus on the recovery to get back well, to get back flying, and it's something that made me very happy too, that I was able to come back so ready. I spent a little time there without being able to train with the group, but when I came back I was able to help the team, respond, and it made me happy", continued the midfielder.

Even after returning to Corinthians, Ana Vitória still hasn't had the opportunity to play at Neo Química Arena. The athlete revealed that she has been waiting for this moment for years.

"I really like playing at Fazendinha. I really like it, since 2018, which was the first time that Corinthians also played at the Arena, it coincided that precisely on that date I was with the under 20 team, right? Because we were preparing for the World Cup. And then I didn't play. And then I went back to Corinthians also in the games I had, one of which I didn't play for load control, which was causing some discomfort, and the other was due to a technical option. So I still haven't managed to do it, which was against América Mineiro, I couldn't play for Neo Química. And I'm waiting, and I haven't waited since 2018, for this moment," he said.

The player also commented on the goal scored against Red Bull Bragantino, in her first match after returning from concussion. The move had special meaning because it was scored with a header.

"The curious thing is that it happened head on, right? I think I've scored a few headed goals in my career, and even when I played here in 2018, that was also what I did most of all, so, proportionally speaking, I could be wrong, but I have the idea that what I scored most was headed goals. I really like it, I think it's one of my favorites. So I was very happy to score against Corinthians, I even celebrated with the fans, okay, it was very symbolic", recalled Ana Vitória.

When comparing the current scenario of Brazilian women's football with the European one, Ana Vitória highlighted the growth of the sport in the country and explained the reasons that facilitated her return to Brazil.

"It was a different time back then. Today Brazilian football has grown a lot, the conditions we find in our country, at home, are very different. Outside, we found some things that we didn't have here yet, which were still in their infancy. And today you can already find good conditions in clubs, critical security, contracts, contracts that give you the security that if something happens I won't be left in the lurch. I think this explains the movement in general a little, it's not really my case. My case was when I was there for seven years, I left very young, I was still 18 when I left, then I turned 19. And the opportunity arose to return to Brazil, the conversation, the survey. Corinthians playing interesting competitions, before there was also no Copa do Brasil, World Cup, Copa do Brasil, Brazilian, having a World Cup here in Brazil next year. It was an open heart. From now on I have this opportunity to experience the things I wanted to experience back then and feel like I had to leave that moment", revealed the number 88 shirt.

Ana Vitória also confirmed that she maintains frequent contact with several Brazilian women who work abroad, but joked about denying any influence to convince athletes to return to the country: "Yes, in contact, we make a lot of friends, right, but we don't do this role of agent there. Professional, professional and personal, her friend, just because we tell each other to joke: 'oh, I'm waiting for you to go train there'."

Finally, the midfielder spoke about the responsibility of defending Corinthians, a club that often enters competitions as favorites for titles. Despite this, the player stated that she prefers not to work with this type of label.

"I don't like to put anyone as a favorite, even Corinthians. I put the responsibility on us to represent the club's entire history and shirt well. And the result will be a consequence of this responsibility that we take to the field. This seriousness, this dedication, this determination, this desire to win. I don't really like that word 'favorite'.", pointed out Ana Vitória.

Afterwards, she compared the scenario experienced at Corinthians with experiences she had during her time at Benfica, highlighting the intensity of the Brazilian fans.

"At Benfica you found a bit of that, if you have determination, everything at national level, but playing in Brazil is different. The Brazilian fans are more indigent, but they are also more fervent. There are good and bad things. There is no downside to having fans. It's a stronger demand, more inclusive, but it's also a crowd that gives you an energy on the field that is absurd. I'm saying that you're inside the Arsenal stadium and the Corinthians fans are making a lot of noise. So it's really good if you take the bad parts out of it.", he concluded.

In two spells at Corinthians (2017/2018 and 2026), Ana Vitória scored nine goals and three assists in 69 games (42 as a starter), with 51 wins, 10 draws and eight defeats - 78.74% success rate. In addition, there are two titles won: Conmebol Libertadores (2017) and Campeonato Brasileiro (2018). Before returning to Brazil, he played in European football and played for Benfica (Portugal), PSG (France) and Atlético de Madrid (Spain).

The post Ana Vitória highlights happiness at Corinthians and reveals goals for her second spell at the club first appeared on Central do Timão.

The content Ana Vitória highlights happiness at Corinthians and reveals goals for her second spell at the club appears first in Central do Timão.

Source: Timao Central