Varsénia da Luz
{{Short description|Cape Verdean footballer (born 1992)}}
{{EngvarB|date=February 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Portuguese name|Monteiro|da Luz}}
{{Infobox football biography
|name = Varsénia da Luz
|image =
|caption =
|full_name = Varsénia Lina Monteiro da Luz
|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1992|3|19|df=y}}
|birth_place = São Vicente, Cape Verde
|height =
|position = Defender
|currentclub = Seven Stars
|clubnumber = 5
|youthyears1 =
|youthclubs1 =
|years1 =
|clubs1 = Ribeirense FC
|years2 = –2013
|clubs2 = Cruzeiros do Norte
|caps2 =
|goals2 =
|years3 = 2013–2018
|clubs3 = Mindelense
|caps3 =
|goals3 =
|years4 = 2018–
|clubs4 = Seven Stars
|caps4 =
|goals4 =
|nationalyears1 = 2018–
|nationalteam1 = Cape Verde
|nationalcaps1 = 19
|nationalgoals1 = 2
|medaltemplates =
|club-update =
|nationalteam-update = 22 February 2025
}}
Varsénia Lina Monteiro da Luz (born 19 March 1992), often shortened to Varsénia is a Cape Verdean footballer who plays as a right-back for Campeonato Nacional Feminino Caboverdiano club Seven Stars and captains the Cape Verde national football team.{{cite web |date=21 September 2023|title=WAFCON 2024: Captain Varsénia seeks public support to help Cape Verde defeat Liberia|url=https://www.balai.cv/noticias/desporto/can2024-capita-varsenia-quer-contar-com-apoio-do-publico-para-ajudar-cabo-verde-a-vencer-liberia/|website=balai.cv|publisher=Inforpress|access-date=24 February 2025}}
Club career
Born in São Vicente, like most children, da Luz started playing football with friends in the neighborhood. She then joined Ribeirense FC in the regional championship. After one season, she joined Cruzeiros do Norte before moving to Mindelense, where she won four regional titles and participated in national championships between 2013 and 2018.
On 23 August 2014, Varsénia was part of the historic inaugural match at the Estádio Nacional, where a women's match between the Barlavento and Sotavento selections marked the stadium's first official game. The match ended in a 0–0 draw.{{cite web |date=20 February 2020|title=Women's Match Marked the Inaugural Game at Estádio Nacional in 2014|url=https://www.facebook.com/federacaocaboverdianafutebol/photos/a.903459016343725/2852775834745357/?type=3&ref=embed_post|language=pt|publisher=Cape Verdean Football Federation|access-date=24 February 2025}}
In 2018, she joined Seven Stars in Praia, where she won four consecutive Santiago Sul regional titles, two national championships, and five Taça Praia trophies. She also competed with the club in the inaugural 2021 CAF Women's Champions League WAFU Zone A Qualifiers, held in Cape Verde.{{cite web |date=21 July 2021|title=Women's Champions League Qualification: Seven Stars Becomes the First Team to Arrive in Mindelo|language=pt|url=https://www.anacao.cv/noticia/2021/07/21/qualificacao-liga-dos-campeoes-femininos-seven-stars-e-a-primeira-equipa-a-chegar-a-mindelo/|website=anacao.cv|access-date=}}
In addition to football, she has competed in futsal. In 2023, she represented São Vicente in the Inter-Island Futsal Tournament, where her team won the title.
International career
As one of the pioneers of women's football in Cape Verde, Varsénia was part of the country's first-ever women's national team.{{cite web |last=Alves |first=Carlos|date=27 November 2021|title=Varsénia da Luz: "The Queen of the Ball"|language=pt|url=https://www.anacao.cv/noticia/2021/11/27/varsenia-da-luz-a-dona-da-bola/|website=anacao.cv|access-date=24 February 2025}} She made her debut in a 1–0 home defeat to Guinea-Bissau on 16 November 2018. Since then, she has been a regular in the national squad, featuring in every Cape Verde selection, including the 2020 and 2023 WAFU Zone A Women's Cup.{{cite web |date=30 July 2024|title=Varsénia da Luz: Engineer and one of the best women's football players in Cape Verde|language=pt|url=https://www.rtc.cv/noticia/noticia-details/varsenia-da-luz-engenheira-e-uma-das-melhores-jogadoras-de-futebol-feminino-de-cabo-verde-13681?categoria_id=2|website=rtc.cv|access-date=24 February 2025}} On 27 January 2023, she scored her first international goal in a 2–1 semi-final victory over Gambia.{{cite web |date=27 January 2023|title=Women's Football: Cape Verde defeats Gambia and reaches the final of the WAFU Tournament|language=pt|url=https://www.criolosports.com/index.php/en/futebol/feminino/futebol-feminino-cabo-verde-vence-gambia-e-esta-na-final-do-torneio-da-ufoa|website=criolosports.com|access-date=24 February 2025|quote=Scored for Cape Verde: Varsénia da Luz}}
Career statistics
=International=
{{updated|match played 26 February 2025}}
| class=wikitable style=text-align:center
|+ Appearances and goals by national team and year !National team!!Year!!Apps!!Goals | ||
| rowspan=7|Cape Verde
|2018 | 1 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1 | 0 |
| 2020 | 5 | 0 |
| 2021 | 2 | 0 |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 |
| 2023 | 8 | 1 |
| 2025 | 2 | 2 |
| colspan=2|Total||20||3 |
|---|
:Scores and results list Cape Verde's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each da Luz goal.
| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ List of international goals scored by Varsénia da Luz | ||||||
| scope="col"|No.
!scope="col"|Date !scope="col"|Venue !scope="col"|Opponent !scope="col"|Score !scope="col"|Result !scope="col"|Competition | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| align="center"|1 | 27 January 2023 | Estádio Marcelo Leitão, Sal, Cape Verde | {{fbw|GAM}} | align="center"|1–0 | align="center"|2–1 | 2023 WAFU Zone A Women's Cup |
| align="center"|2 | 21 February 2025 | Stade Lat-Dior, Thiès, Senegal | rowspan=2|{{fbw|GUI}} | align="center"|2–0 | align="center"|2–2 | rowspan=2|2026 WAFCON qualifiers |
| align="center"|3 | 26 February 2025 | Estádio Nacional de Cabo Verde, Praia, Cape Verde | align="center"|4–1 | align="center"|4–1 |
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{GSA player|varsenia-da-luz/545100}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:da Luz, Varsénia}}
Category:Women's association football defenders
Category:Cape Verdean women's footballers