Pelézinha

Marilza Martins da Silva (born 12 March 1964), commonly known as Pelézinha, is a Brazilian former football player, who operated as a forward for the Brazil women's national football team. Her nickname is an homage to the celebrated male footballer Pelé.

This name uses Portuguese naming customs: the first or maternal family name is Martins and the second or paternal family name is da Silva.
Pelézinha
Personal information
Full name Marilza Martins da Silva
Date of birth (1964-03-12) 12 March 1964
Place of birth Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil
Height 1.58 m (5 ft 2 in)
Position(s) Forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
América-RJ
EC Radar
National team‡
1986–1991 Brazil
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 22:52, 28 April 2013 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 22:52, 28 April 2013 (UTC)

Early life

Pelézinha began playing football as a youngster with the boys in her neighbourhood of Lins de Vasconcelos, north of Rio de Janeiro. She grew up as a supporter of Flamengo and admired Adílio.

Career

In 1981, Pelézinha quit school and left América to join EC Radar on a professional basis.[1] After playing for Radar, representing Brazil, in the 1986 edition of the Mundialito tournament in Italy, Italian clubs reportedly offered a $35,000 transfer fee to sign star player Pelézinha.[2] She was also part of the Radar squad who went to the 1988 FIFA Women's Invitation Tournament in Guangdong as Brazil and finished in third place.[3]

In the 1991 FIFA Women's World Cup, Pelézinha started the second group game against the United States. She was unable to make an impression against the American defense and was substituted early in the second half for 16–year–old Pretinha. Disastrous attempts to play the offside trap contributed to Brazil's 5–0 defeat to the eventual champions. Pelézinha was a reserve in the other two group games.[4]

The Brazilian women's national team did not play another match for over three years, until a sponsorship from Maizena corn starch allowed them to play in the 1995 South American Women's Football Championship. Pelézinha was absent from the squad.[5]

References
  1. Araújo, Maria Helena (1 February 1985). "As Invenciveis". Placar (in Portuguese) (767): 27. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  2. Carvalho, Milton Costa (25 August 1986). "Conquistando O Mundo". Placar (in Portuguese) (848): 70. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  3. Fernandes, Andréa Karl. "A história do futebol feminino" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Sindicato dos Treinsdores de Futebol Profissional do Estado do Rio de Janeiro. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
  4. "FIFA Women's World Cup China '91 - Technical Report & Statistics" (PDF). FIFA. p. 79. Retrieved 26 April 2013.
  5. Garin, Erik; Pierrend, José Luis (28 January 2001). "South-American Women's Championship 1995". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 27 April 2013.


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