“I don’t want to be lumped in with Figo, Mourinho or Cristiano”

Kika Nazareth is currently with the Portuguese national team as it fights for a place at the 2027 World Cup in Brazil. The Barcelona forward was decisive in the recent game against Finland, delivering two assists, and spoke from her home country in an interview that, as usual, left no one indifferent.

Impostor syndrome can linger for the best

Nazareth discussed the challenge of arriving at Barcelona with the label of a star, leaving Portugal and dealing with criticism from home.

“I enjoy life in Barcelona and we’re talking about one of the best cities in the world. There are beautiful people, the beach, great food and the best club in the world, with the best players in the world. What more could I ask for? Now I think: ‘I’m already here… Francisca, relax a little because you’re one of the best too. Slowly but surely.’ What Barcelona paid for me created a lot of pressure. At the time it was the second or third most expensive transfer in women’s soccer.

“Not anymore, thank God… But I still have impostor syndrome. Everyone has an ego and that’s good – you have to believe in yourself and that’s normal – but I think our ego is healthier and there’s a line between that and being respectful. I don’t like comparing it with the men’s game. You see me and I look like someone very confident, but I’m actually an insecure person, even though I don’t have a reason to be. Many times I need people to tell me things,” she admitted on the 3Cat program L’eclipsi.

Athletes are people too

The Portuguese forward also addressed the scrutiny she receives in her home country.

“I don’t want to be lumped together with Figo, Mourinho and Cristiano Ronaldo. I like them and I’m Portuguese with great pride, but I’d like people to look at me differently. They don’t know what it’s like to be a soccer player, to change shirts, to play in Madrid or Barcelona. It’s not easy. Sometimes people forget that we’re people too and that we’re not doing it with bad intentions.”

Nazareth joined Barcelona in the summer of 2024 as a marquee signing from Benfica and has also dealt with injuries since arriving in Spain.

“Now that I’m feeling good again after my injury, I want to have a little more continuity and stability, which I still haven’t had. I think I’m doing things well… or maybe not,” she said.

She also spoke candidly about the personal sacrifices behind her career.

“I’ve changed everything – home, family – for soccer, and now you’re alone. I have the players, I have my family, but it’s very complicated. When things aren’t good off the field, they won’t be good on it either. Still, you have to train. I want to win everything in soccer: the Champions League, everything. I’m very competitive.”

At just 23, both Portugal and Barcelona are already enjoying the rise of one of the game’s most compelling young stars.

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