Catarina Bajanca is the 11th signing for the women's football

She is called Catarina Lavado Bajanca and she is the 11th and latest signing for the women's football team of Benfica, a project that will begin in the 2018/19 season. The 22-year-old goalkeeper arrives with ambition and determined "to help the team in the proposed objectives".

“It is a very good feeling. It is a very big Club. It is associated with great achievements and that turns this into a moment of great satisfaction for me”, confessed the goal stopper in statements to BTV. 

“I was doing a test when I received the news and I was very happy. It is a moment of great satisfaction when you realized that the work is appreciated and that the opportunities end up appearing. Given the Club it is, obviously the answer was positive”, said Catarina Bajanca.

At the age of 22, she arrives at Luz coming from Estoril-Praia, the club she represented in the last three season, where she played a total of 30 matches. Before, she represented CAC (Clube Atlético e Cultural da Pontinha) for two seasons.

“I started playing football after the Euro 2004, that was held in Portugal. Then, when I was 10 years old, I joined to CIF, a historic club in Portugal. When I could not play with the boys because of the transition to 11-aside football where there were not allowed mixed teams, I had to switch club. I joined CFB, best known as "Fofó", afterward to CLC and then to the United States. And for the last three year I have played at Estoril-Praia”, she said.

In her curriculum, she has a Promotion Cup, while a player from Estoril, in 2015/16. At Benfica wants "to help the team in the objectives" and "continue growing". For that, she relies on the support from the fans.

“To play at Benfica is a huge step. Now, I want to show why I arrived here and prove why they bet on me. The women's football in Portugal has been improving a lot, it has been gaining a big visibility and that is very positive. I hope that, with the entrance of Benfica in women's team, the sport continues to evolve and that more and more players practice the sport ”, she wished.

“Individually, I want to continue growing and, collectively, I want to help the team in the proposed objectives throughout the season for everything to go well. To the fans, I ask them to support. One Club with a fan base like this has the capacity to support the several teams and that is what we ask. That gives us the strength to fulfill our goals”, she admitted.

NEW SIGNINGS SECURED

Text: Filipa Fernandes Garcia

Pics: Tânia Paulo / SL Benfica