From Caxias To Istanbul: Marta Cintra Reflects On Her Football Journey

From Caxias To Istanbul: Marta Cintra Reflects On Her Football Journey Marta Cintra started her football journey on the streets of Caxias, playing alongside her brother and friends; little did she know that from those very first kicks of a ball, football would take her on a journey across the world. She began her early career playing in her native Brazil before making the move abroad. Since then, her career has taken her to Portugal, where she enjoyed a successful spell, before moving to Turkey, where she currently plays. Cintra’s early career in Brazil saw her play for several clubs, including Olímpica, Rio Preto, Ceará, Foz Cataratas and Grêmio, allowing her to establish herself before eventually making the move to Europe. Her time at Ceará was an important part of her career, where she became a key goalscorer for the side and helped the club win silverware, including the Campeonato Cearense. Her performances also earned her call-ups to represent Brazil at youth level, where she added more silverware, lifting the South American U20 Championship in Venezuela in 2020. “My first memory connected to football is playing in the street with my brother and my friends,” Marta Cintra tells WFi . “Those are some of my greatest football memories because that’s where my love for the game began, and it’s something I still carry with me every time I play today. “It’s strange to say that my inspirations during my childhood weren’t footballers. My biggest role models in everything have always been my mother and my brother, who were also involved in football. “I always saw myself in them and looked up to them in so many ways. For me, they will always be my biggest inspirations.” Following her time in Brazil, Cintra opted to make the move to Benfica in Lisbon, taking her out of the country for the first time in her career. It would prove to be a highly successful move, with her time in Portugal bringing plenty of silverware. She helped guide Benfica to several titles, including the Campeonato Nacional on three occasions, the Taça da Liga twice, the Supertaça de Portugal twice and the Taça de Portugal. Alongside that domestic success, Cintra also had the opportunity to compete in the Champions League. The timing of her move to Benfica came halfway through the European calendar, meaning she had to quickly adapt to European tactics and the different rhythm of the game. In her first full season, she became a regular feature in the side and made her debut appearance in the UEFA Women’s Champions League group stages. The 2022/23 season was a fantastic one for Cintra, as Benfica enjoyed a dominant domestic campaign, winning the league, the Taça da Liga and the Supertaça de Portugal. Her final season with Benfica also ended on a high, with Cintra making 23 appearances, scoring eight goals and adding two assists. “It’s difficult to leave somewhere where you already feel settled and move somewhere completely different,” she says. “I definitely felt afraid at first because it was my first time leaving Brazil. “But that experience definitely made me who I am today — a better player, with strong principles and dedication to what I do. “Portugal is a country where I now feel at home as well! They welcomed me very well and made it easy for me to adapt, which helped me develop more easily. “The 2022/23 season was definitely my best period at Benfica. It was the season in which I scored the most goals and had a lot of good games, and it was certainly the most successful in terms of trophies.” Following her time in Portugal, Cintra opted to move again, this time to a completely different country and a new language, joining Fenerbahçe in Turkey for the 2024/25 season. In a fierce title race, she scored four goals as she continued to adapt to life in a new country and a new league. Then, ahead of the 2025/26 season, she opted to move across town to rivals Galatasaray, completing a high-profile cross-town transfer in August 2025. She quickly took on a key attacking role on the right wing for the reigning champions. “I’m someone who enjoys new experiences, and at that moment I felt that I needed to experience something more, so for me, coming to Turkey was the right decision,” she said. “I don’t think you can really compare Brazilian football with Turkish football. Turkey has only had a women’s football project for a few years, but I feel that it is constantly developing. “There are more players and more teams, and that makes the competition increasingly competitive and allows it to continue evolving every year.” Cintra has already had the opportunity to represent Brazil at youth level, an experience that remains one of the proudest moments of her career. Now playing her football in Turkey with Galatasaray, her focus is on adding more silverware to an already successful career and returning to the biggest stage in European football. “Playing for Brazil was a unique moment, and something I never imagined would happen,” she adds. “It was one of the happiest periods of my career as an athlete, and it is something that will stay with me forever. “My objective this year is clear: to become a champion here in Turkey and to have the opportunity to play in the Champions League once again, but this time with Galatasaray.”