Portuguese legend Tatiana Pinto is no stranger to the biggest stages when it comes to European competitions. The pacy midfielder has racked up just under 130 appearances for her national team and played in England, Spain, Portugal and now the Italian top divisions.
Now representing Juventus, the experienced playmaker is looking to make her mark not only domestically, but in the UEFA Women’s Champions League. Signed alongside Arsenal and Switzerland legend Lia Wälti, who won the UWCL title in May, Juventus have set their sights on success.
Juve won’t have an easy route to the latter stages of the UWCL. The Italian giants will initially face Benfica, Bayern München, Atlético de Madrid, OL Lyonnes, Manchester United and St. Polten.
Personal ties make for exciting fixtures
Pinto spoke candidly about her desire to see her new club drawn against both Benfica and Atlético. Having spent last sesaon with the Spanish giants and being a childhood Sporting CF fan, a tie against rivals Benfica is an exciting prospect.
“I actually wanted to play against them both, I predicated it you could say,” she said. “I’m lucky, I’m actually so happy. I really like Madrid so it’ll be so good to come back again.”
The 31-year-old knows better than most that neither game will be an easy win.
“Both teams are very different in styles of play. They both like to dominate play — it’s two amazing teams with so many strong players. I play with a lot of the Benfica girls in the national team, so as much as it will be fun to play against them, I want to win.”
Facing a role of seniority
With 129 international appearances for Portugal and numerous honours in her cabinet, Pinto is one of the most experienced players in the Juventus set-up.
“I think that’s why they signed me,” she admitted. “I know I have a lot of experiences in different footballing contexts. I’ve played in lots of different leagues, several teams and I have a lot of time spent with the national team in Portugal. So alongside Lia Wälti, we were brought in for these reasons.
“Obviously I’m still in a position where I can learn new things and grow also but I think I know how to face into big moments of pressure to perform at the highest levels no matter the occasion or the stresses.”
The ultimate career goal
Having won the Portuguese title twice alongside other honours, Pinto is no stranger to successes. However, the Juventus star is not shy of hiding how much a UWCL title would mean to her and her teammates.
“It would be the biggest achievement of my career,” the midfielder admitted. “I think all the top players dream of this. We’re not just here to be happy simply playing in the competition, playing some games and going home. We here at Juventus, we want to win it. Every time we go into a game we want to win it. This is a big club.”
What comes next for Juventus?
Juventus will have to find results against some major oppositions to progress through the next round of the UWCL. They will be looking to make a positive start against Benfica on Tuesday 7th October, in their first match that kicks off in Turin.
