By Sarah Lyall. She thought about how she was still playing at peak performance, even after nearly 25 years in the game.
And so she agreed to return one last time, for what is her seventh and almost certainly final World Cup. Roger Milla, a forward, played for Cameroon in , when he was Little support leads to little in the way of player development. Brazil has this difficulty.
Formiga was among them, almost lost in the gaggle of women. At 5 feet 4 inches, she is shorter than most of her teammates, wiry and compact, with a grace and economy to her movement.
She also is 20 years older than some of them. Though she looks much younger than a person entering her fifth decade, Formiga is clearly from a different generation. She has a calmness, a maturity and a quiet focus that set her apart from the rest of the team, along with several decades of experience. She spoke in Portuguese, through an interpreter.
Sometimes I need to stop and listen to them, and sometimes they have to listen to me. Respect within the group is essential. Having never sustained a serious injury, Formiga does not feel particularly decrepit. Her post-big-match regimen now includes stretching, ice baths, physiotherapy and special exercises devised by her trainer.
