Meet Brazilian beach soccer influencer and World Winners champion Natália Pedrini…
Natália Pedrini was born in Vitória, Espírito Santo in Brazil on 4 October 1985. She has a younger sister and works alongside her entrepreneur parents in their family business.
But her passion is beach soccer, and Natália has built up an impressive following on social media where she shows off her skills on Brazil’s beautiful beaches.
Like many Brazilians, she started playing beach soccer at a young age…
“I have always played on the beach in my city, but I joined my first team in 2001. In the beginning it was very difficult, mainly because there were not enough girls playing. It was also tough physically because for beginners is very exhausting playing on sand. “
From 2001 to 2013 Natália Pedrini played for Beach Soccer Geração. Then, after a few years out of the game, she returned to beach soccer in 2018, joining Rio Branco Beach Soccer (ES -Brazil) and Boa Vista Beach Soccer (RJ- Brazil).
“My friends from Rio Branco encouraged me to start playing more seriously again and I owe my return to beach soccer to them. Growing up, I was always inspired by the big names in Beach Soccer like Jorginho, Buru and Bruno Xavier but after that, I realise that my teammates are my inspiration now.”
In 2019, she represented Boa Vista BS, and then made the big move to a European team, Lady Terracina (Italy) and in the same year joined Pavia Beach (Italy).
“Being part of a great team like Pavia Beach is something that gives me huge pride and being able to play at BSWW tournaments is something I will always be proud of. It’s every player’s dream. It was an incredible experience to play the Euro Winners Cup too, but to win the World Winners Cup with Pavia was one of my proudest moments.“
Coming from the cradle of the sport, the Brazilian recognises that there is an abundance of talent in her home country…
“We have A LOT of good players here in Brazil. I would say my favourite beach soccer player right now is Barbara Colodetti. She is the most complete player I know. On top of that, she is always ready to help the sport and her teammates.“
But Natália also recognises that there is still room for improvement even in the home of beach soccer.
“The issue is that there is not enough investment in the sport in Brazil. I hope it gets better because we have everything we need to develop the sport. Beautiful beaches, very talented players and a special joy for the sport that you can only find in Brazil!”
Natália is extremely passionate about beach soccer and eager to see development, and she has witnessed the rapid rise of beach soccer in her lifetime. Because of this, she has genuine and positive vision for the future…
“I think that in the future beach soccer will become an Olympic sport. I think we’re getting there! I’ve noticed a big improvement in beach soccer over the years. Thanks to Beach Soccer Worldwide today the sport is becoming more and more professional. I think today the most important tournament is the Euro Winners Cup and it’s the one I look forward to the most.”
And the best part about being a beach soccer player..?
“I can’t explain how it make me feel. It makes me feel better. It’s something I’ve loved since I was young. On top of that, I think about all the friends I made through the sport, and they are people who I will have for the rest of my life.”
