Beatriz "Bia" Zaneratto João (born 17 December 1993), sometimes known as Bia Zaneratto, or just Beatriz, or Bia, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays for Kansas City Current and the Brazil national team. She was part of the national squad at the 2011, 2015, 2019, and 2023 editions of the FIFA Women's World Cup.
.jpg) Beatriz at the 2019 SheBelieves Cup | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Beatriz Zaneratto João[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 17 December 1993 | ||
| Place of birth | Araraquara, São Paulo, Brazil[2] | ||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Kansas City Current | ||
| Number | 9 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Espaço Criança[3] | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2007–2009 | Ferroviária | ||
| 2010 | Santos | ||
| 2011 | Bangu | ||
| 2012 | Vitória das Tabocas | ||
| 2013–2019 | Hyundai Steel Red Angels | 103 | (78) |
| 2020–2021 | Wuhan Jianghan University | 9 | (7) |
| 2020 | → Palmeiras (loan) | 2 | (2) |
| 2021 | → Palmeiras (loan) | 15 | (13) |
| 2022–2024 | Palmeiras | 22 | (15) |
| 2024– | Kansas City Current | 5 | (4) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2010 | Brazil U17 | 4 | (0) |
| 2012 | Brazil U20 | 3 | (0) |
| 2011– | Brazil | 111 | (38) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18:53, 22 April 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 24 July 2023 (UTC) | |||
Club career
Bia Zaneratto joined her local team Ferroviária at the age of 13. In 2010, she moved to play for reigning Copa Libertadores Femenina champions Santos.[4] In February 2013 Bia Zaneratto and her Vitória das Tabocas teammate Thaísinha announced that they had accepted a transfer to South Korean club Incheon Hyundai Steel Red Angels.[5] With the team, Beatriz has won seven consecutive WK League championships between 2013 and 2019. In the 2015 championship, she scored an equalizing goal in the 123rd minute to force the game to penalty shoot-out, where her team prevailed.[6]
From 2020 to 2021, she played for Chinese team Wuhan Jianghan University, where she scored seven goals in nine matches to help them win the 2020 Chinese Women's Super League.[7][8]
The Kansas City Current signed Bia on January 22, 2024, on a one-year contract with a one-year option.[9] In the season opener on March 16, she scored in the Current's 5–4 win over the Portland Thorns.[10] She scored a brace to help beat Bay FC 5–2 on April 20.[11] She was named NWSL Player of the Month for March/April 2024, with four goals and three assists in that span.[12]
International career
Ahead of the inaugural 2008 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, a 14-year-old Bia Zaneratto was the youngest player in Brazil's squad and was highlighted as a "player to watch" by The New Zealand Herald newspaper.[13]
In May 2011, she made her debut for the senior national team in a 3–0 friendly win over Chile at Estádio Rei Pelé in Maceió.[14] Bia Zaneratto was named in Brazil's squad for the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup in Germany and participated in the 3–0 group stage win over Equatorial Guinea.
In February 2015, Bia Zaneratto's club commitments in South Korea meant she was left out of Brazil's 18-month residency programme intended to prepare the national team for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup and the 2016 Rio Olympics.[15] At the World Cup in Canada, Bia Zaneratto made substitute appearances in the final group game, a 1–0 win over Costa Rica, and the 1–0 second-round defeat by Australia.
Bia Zaneratto was named to the Brazil squad for the 2016 Summer Olympics, her first Olympic Games. She plundered three goals, including one in the Bronze Medal match, in which Brazil lost 2–1 to Canada, as hosts Brazil finished in fourth place. It was reported that her performances "lit up" the Games and made her a target for clubs in the American National Women's Soccer League, albeit her relatively high salary in South Korea made a transfer less likely.[16]
At the 2019 SheBelieves Cup, Bia Zaneratto suffered a fractured fibula during Brazil's 1–0 defeat by hosts the United States in Tampa, Florida.[17]
At the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, Bia Zaneratto scored against Panama.[18]
Career statistics
International goals
Scores and results list Brazil's goal tally first.[19][20][21][22]
Honours
Santos
Hyundai Steel Red Angels
Wuhan Jianghan University
Palmeiras
Brazil
Individual
References
External links
- Bia Zaneratto – FIFA competition record (archived)
- Bia Zaneratto at Soccerway
- Santos FC player profile at the Wayback Machine (archived April 21, 2010)
