Kika Nazareth: “I want to win the Ballon d’Or.”

Kika Nazareth, a standout in Portuguese women’s football and last season’s European champion with Barcelona, shared her career goals on the Portugal Football Summit Podcast.

“With Barça, I’ve already won everything. So I want to keep winning. That’s my goal. I know I’ve already achieved a lot, but I’ve been hearing, for as long as I can remember, ‘You’re going to win a Ballon d’Or.’ And, of course, I want to win a Ballon d’Or. At the national team level, I’d love to win a World Cup or a European Championship,” she revealed in an interview for the Portugal Football Summit Podcast , presented by Pedro Pinto .

Kika Nazareth signed for FC Barcelona in 2024/25, in a record transfer for Portuguese women’s football, joining a squad that had names like Aitana Bonmatí and Alexia Putellas, both Ballon d’Or winners.

“Barcelona has the best players in the world. Adapting was difficult, but I needed to take this step, a different kind of stimulus and training. I felt alone the first year, away from my family, because it’s a different pace, a different mentality. But if you train with the best, you become a better player. I’ve learned so much from them, also on a mental level. My mindset has changed a lot,” she stated.

Regarding the influences that shaped her as a player, Kika Nazareth points to two Argentinians who stood out for several years in the Spanish league.

“Aimar was my biggest ‘idol’ and Messi too. But Aimar because she was from Benfica, and she was number ten, a magician who did crazy things. But I never wanted to mold my game through anyone, because perhaps, if one day I didn’t manage to be like that person, I think it would be worse, because I think I would feel frustrated,” she explained.

When asked about being one of the faces of international football today, the Portuguese player accepts the weight of that responsibility.

“Yes, definitely. It’s a big responsibility. But I understand that I already have a name and that people respect our generation. Once, I was walking down the street and a man came up to me and said, ‘Thank you for making me let my daughter play football and be happy, because you changed my mindset and the way I see women’s football.’ That’s the nicest thing you can hear,” she said.

Regarding the evolution of women’s football, she has no doubts about the speed of that transformation.

“I think this is happening and growing in a very natural way. I remember playing against Sporting CP with a hundred people watching us. Nowadays, I’ve already played in front of 35,000 people and in the Champions League final with 80,000. It’s incredible how things are changing and the speed at which they’re changing. There’s a lot of attention and a lot of investment from clubs and federations. I think that’s the beauty of football,” he said.

Finally, she left a message for the young players who dream of following in her footsteps.

“Happiness, for me, is always the first choice. We have to do things. We have to have the courage to make difficult decisions. And we have to feel and do things that make us feel good. Respect your body, respect your mind, and respect your thoughts,” she concluded.