Sporting Changed My Life

Inês Gonçalves, Portugal

Inês Gonçalves is a player for Sporting Clube de Portugal and documented the Portuguese Cup Final at Jamor, the National Stadium.

Can you introduce yourself and tell us about your football journey up until now?

My name is Inês Gonçalves, and I play for Sporting Clube de Portugal, a professional club in Portugal. As a child, I started playing football with my friends at my hometown club Atlético de Reguengos de Monsaraz. I then started to play for the Évora district team, which meant I might be seen in tournaments. 

Then I was called up to the Under-16 national team, and in 2018 I signed for Sporting CP at 17. It has changed my life, and it is already my fifth year at the club. The worst moments are always the injuries, and the best are without a doubt the trophies I have already won with the club. 

My ambition is to represent Portugal. Football is something that puts me to the test every day, I want to give the best of myself every day.

What did you try to show with the photos? Was there any wider meaning with the photos?

I showed behind-the-scenes of the 2022 Portuguese Cup Final at Jamor (the National Stadium), where we won the Cup for the third time. You can see my team and staff. Seeing Jubas, Sporting CP's green and white mascot, was something surreal at Jamor.

What changes have you seen in women’s football since you started playing?

The big change has been the growth and the fact that there is much more demand. The conditions are improving and we are starting to play in big stadiums with a lot of spectators.

What is the future for Portuguese women's football? What would you like to change?

I would like to see us with a competitive league and having the same conditions and facilities as the men's league, such as natural grass pitches. I would also like to see Portugal in the final stages of a Euros or World Cup.