Ludmila (footballer)

Ludmila

Ludmila playing for Brazil at the 2019 SheBelieves Cup
Personal information
Full name	Ludmila da Silva
Date of birth	(1994-12-01) 1 December 1994 (age 30)
Place of birth	Guarulhos, Brazil
Height	1.60 m (5 ft 3 in)
Position(s)	Forward
Team information
Current team	Chicago Red Stars
Number	14
Youth career
	CA Juventus
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2011	CA Juventus
2012	São Caetano
2013	Portuguesa
2013	Rio Preto	6	(3)
2015–2017	São José	15	(6)
2017–2024	Atlético Madrid	137	(59)
2024–	Chicago Red Stars	5	(3)
International career^‡
2017–	Brazil	50	(5)
Medal record Women's football Representing  Brazil Olympic Games 2024 Paris
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 9 October 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:10, 29 July 2024 (UTC)

Ludmila da Silva (born 1 December 1994), commonly known as Ludmila, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Chicago Red Stars of the United States' National Women's Soccer League and the Brazil women's national team.

Club career

Ludmila playing for Atlético Madrid in November 2018

A high school athletics champion, Ludmila took up organized football at the relatively late age of 15. She was noticed by a scout from CA Juventus and then moved on to play for São Caetano, Portuguesa, Rio Preto and São José as a fast and strong winger.^[1]

In August 2017, Ludmila agreed to a transfer to Spanish Primera División club Atlético Madrid.^[2] Her exceptional pace led her to be dubbed: "Road Runner".^[3] Good performances and six goals in the first half season prompted Atlético to extend her initial two-year contract by another year in December 2017.^[4]

In September 2018, Ludmila assisted the first goal and scored the second to eliminate Manchester City from the 2018–19 UEFA Women's Champions League Round of 32, securing Atlético's place in the Round of 16.^[5]

On 29 July 2024, the Chicago Red Stars announced that they had signed Ludmila to a three-year contract through the 2026 season.^[6] She scored her first NWSL goal on September 21, 2024, lifting the team to a 1–0 victory over the San Diego Wave.^[7][8] The Red Stars would go on to qualify for the playoffs, where they lost to the Orlando Pride 4–1 in the first round.^[9][10] Ludmila was unable to play in the match, instead serving a three-game suspension following an altercation with Washington Spirit forward Rosemonde Kouassi during the penultimate game of the Red Stars' 2024 regular season.^[11][12]

International career

Ludmila was part of the Brazilian under-20 selection at the 2014 South American U-20 Women's Championship in Uruguay, scoring three goals at the tournament. In the 2–0 final win over Paraguay, she won a penalty which Andressa converted, and then scored the second goal herself.^[13]

In June 2017, Ludmila was called up to the senior Brazil squad for the first time for a friendly match against Germany in Sandhausen. She reportedly did not have a passport and had to urgently obtain one to accept the call-up. She stated that national coach Emily Lima, previously her boss at Juventus and São José, was a mother figure to her.^[14] In Germany, Brazil fielded a weakened team as the match was outside FIFA-specified international dates and some regular players were unable to attend. Ludmila capitalised on an error by German goalkeeper Almuth Schult to mark her debut with a goal, but Brazil lost 3–1.^[15]

In previous training sessions with the national team, Ludmila had been stung by criticism from a team official who suggested she was good at running but did not know when to release the ball.^[16] Ludmila scored the only goal in a behind closed doors training match against Canada in Ottawa on 4 September 2018.^[17]

Ludmila was named to the Brazil roster that competed in the 2024 Paris Olympics.^[18] She started the tournament final against the United States and appeared to have scored the opening goal in the 16th minute, only to have the strike ruled as offside. The United States would go on to beat Ludmila and Brazil 1–0 on a goal from Mallory Swanson.^[19][20]

International goals

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	4 July 2017	BWT-Stadion am Hardtwald, Sandhausen, Germany	Germany	1–1	1–3	Friendly
2.	29 August 2019	Pacaembu Stadium, São Paulo, Brazil	Argentina	1–0	5–0	2019 Torneio Internacional de Futebol Feminino
3.	10 March 2020	Stade de l'Épopée, Calais, France	Canada	2–0	2–2	2020 Tournoi de France
4.	24 July 2021	Miyagi Stadium, Rifu, Japan	Netherlands	3–2	3–3	2020 Summer Olympics
5.	22 February 2023	Toyota Stadium, Frisco, United States	United States	1–2	1–2	2023 SheBelieves Cup

Personal life

Ludmila is Afro-Brazilian and was brought up in a favela^[21] by her aunt, as her mother left the family and her father died during her childhood. In 2016, her older sister also died.^[22]

Honours

Brazil

• Summer Olympics silver medal: 2024^[23]

References

1. Menayo, David (2 October 2018). "Ludmila da Silva, la pantera indomable que ruge en el Atlético de Madrid" (in Spanish). Marca. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
2. Fuente, Iván (13 August 2017). "Ludmila Da Silva, un fichaje para el ataque del Atlético Femenino" (in Spanish). Marca. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
3. Anguas, Arturo (9 February 2018). "¡Beep beep! Ludmila, el correcaminos de la Liga Iberdrola" (in Spanish). Ellas Futbol. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
4. "Ludmila renueva hasta 2020 con el Atlético Femenino" (in Spanish). Mundo Deportivo. 18 December 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
5. Menayo, David (26 September 2018). "Ludmila guía al Atlético de Madrid a los octavos de final de la Champions League" (in Spanish). Marca. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
6. Salazar, Emmanuel (29 July 2024). "Chicago Red Stars Sign Brazilian International, Ludmila". Chicago Red Stars. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
7. "Chicago Red Stars Shutout San Diego Wave FC, 1-0". Chicago Red Stars. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
8. Chatz, Joe (22 September 2024). "Ludmila Scores First NWSL Goal, Chicago Red Stars Defeat San Diego Wave 1-0". On Tap Sports Net. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
9. "Match Center | NWSL Quarterfinals". Chicago Red Stars. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
10. orlandocitysc. "Match Report: Orlando Pride wins first playoff game in Club history with 4-1 victory over Chicago Red Stars | Orlando Pride". orlandocitysc. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
11. NWSL (28 October 2024). "NWSL Disciplinary Committee Issues Discipline to Chicago Red Stars Forward Ludmila, Washington Spirit Forward Rosemonde Kouassi | National Women's Soccer League Official Site". NWSL. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
12. "Ludmila and Rosemonde Kouassi to Serve Suspensions Into NWSL Playoffs". SI. 28 October 2024. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
13. "2014 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup - group B capsules". US Soccer. 25 July 2014. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
14. Dantas, Gabriel (22 June 2017). "Após "correria" por passaporte, Ludmila vibra por chance na Seleção" (in Portuguese). Globo Esporte. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
15. Barlem, Cintia (4 July 2017). "Seleção feminina perde por 3 a 1 para a Alemanha em amistoso" (in Portuguese). Globo Esporte. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
16. Leite, Victoria (27 September 2017). "Emily Lima revela que jogadora já se sentiu ofendida na Seleção" (in Portuguese). Gazeta Esportiva. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
17. Davidson, Neil (5 September 2018). "Canada gets favourable draw for CONCACAF women's championship". CBC. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
18. Millar, Colin. "Brazil name women's football squad for Paris Olympics". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
19. Bumbaca, Nancy Armour and Chris. "USWNT vs. Brazil highlights: USA wins Olympic gold for first time in 12 years". USA TODAY. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
20. Cunningham, Mary; Sang, Lucia Suarez (10 August 2024). "U.S. women's soccer team beats Brazil 1-0 to win gold medal at Paris Olympics - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
21. Cazón, Patricia (11 September 2018). "Ludmila da Silva taking giant steps with Atlético". AS. Archived from the original on 11 April 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
22. Pereira, Silas (11 April 2016). "Artilheira do São José, Ludmila supera perdas na família por conquista inédita" (in Portuguese). Globo Esporte. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
23. Jurejko, Jonathan (10 August 2024). "Brazil 0-1 United States: Emma Hayes leads USA to Olympic gold". BBC Sport. Retrieved 12 August 2024.

External links

• Ludmila at Soccerway
• Ludmila at La Liga (archived) (in Spanish)
• Ludmila at Olympedia (archive)
• Ludmila at Olympics.com
• Ludmila at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics
• Ludmila da Silva at the Comitê Olímpico do Brasil (in Portuguese)