Bárbara (footballer)


Bárbara Micheline do Monte Barbosa, commonly known as Bárbara, is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Kindermann and the Brazil women's national football team. Bárbara has played for clubs in Italy, Sweden and Germany as well as in her native Brazil. Since making her national team debut in 2007, she has won over 30 caps for Brazil. She has been part of her country's squad at four editions of the FIFA Women's World Cup and at two Olympic football tournaments.

Club career

In autumn 2008 Bárbara joined Italian club Napoli. She moved to Swedish Damallsvenskan team Sunnanå SK in early 2009 and remained for two seasons, until the club was relegated at the end of the 2010 campaign. She rejected offers from other Swedish teams to return to the women's section of Sport Club do Recife, where her career began. Bárbara played four league matches for Frauen-Bundesliga club BV Cloppenburg in the 2013–14 season.

International career

At the 2006 FIFA U-20 Women's World Championship, FIFA.com reported that Bárbara's goalkeeping was a "key factor" in the Brazilian team which finished third. In September 2007 Bárbara made her senior international debut in Brazil's 2–1 friendly defeat by Japan at Fukuda Denshi Arena, Chiba. She was called into Brazil's squad for the 2007 Pan American Games, where she understudied veteran Andréia Suntaque.
Bárbara was Brazil's first choice goalkeeper at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. She won a silver medal when Brazil lost the final 1–0 after extra time to the United States. After the final Bárbara gave an insight into Brazilian women's football's lack of development when she revealed she had not been paid by her club for six months.
Bárbara was part of the Brazilian World Cup squads in 2011, 2015 and 2019.

Personal life

Bárbara is openly lesbian, having a relationship with her partner Lidiane.