She was born Miraildes Maciel Mota, but would go on to be known by her football name Formiga, literally the ant. As a midfielder, she was also literally the worker ant of every team she played in.
She made her debut for Sao Paulo in 1993 at the age of 15 and now, 28 years later, she has come full circle.
But the best known is Formiga of the Brazilian national team, where she was the signboard together with Marta. She played her 234th and last international match against India yesterday, not exactly her most memorable (6-1).
At the past Olympics, she broke another record by participating for the 7th time at 43. She was also there at a World Cup 7 times, but every time it went wrong. She lost the final with Brazil at both the Athens and Beijing Games, and she also lost the 2007 World Cup final.
