Kátia (footballer)

Kátia Cilene Teixeira da Silva (born 18 February 1977), known simply as Kátia, is a Brazilian former footballer.

Career
A former track and field star who finished as high as fifth in the heptathlon at the South American championships, Katia is a veteran of three World Cups and two Olympic games. She began her international career as a key member of the Brazilian team in the 1995 Women's World Cup in Sweden, then played all five of her country's matches in the Atlanta Olympics. Her outstanding play and two goals at the 1999 Women's World Cup drew rave reviews and in 2000 she finished fourth in scoring at the Sydney Olympics.

Katia spent five seasons in the Brazilian Women's League and ranked as the No.1 goal scorer in each of them. In 1997 she scored 34 goals as the newly formed São Paulo FC won the Campeonato Paulista de Futebol Feminino. With the launch of the WUSA in 2001, Katia was given the opportunity to take her game to an even higher level and she signed with the San Jose CyberRays. That first season she played well and scored seven goals. In 2002, she improved to score 15 goals. Her goals plus her five assists also made her the leading overall point scorer with 35.

Spain
In February 2005, Kátia arrived in Spain to play for Estudiantes Huelva. She transferred to Levante UD in May 2005 to play in the post-season 2005 Copa de la Reina de Fútbol, scoring two goals in five games to help her new club retain the trophy. She then agreed a deal to remain with Levante for the 2005–06 Superliga Femenina season.

France
Katia moved to France's Olympique Lyonnais Féminin in January 2007, scoring 57 goals in 58 league matches. In summer 2010 she signed for Paris Saint-Germain Féminines.

Later career
After spending five years in the Division 1 Féminine in 2011 she moved to the Russian Championship where she played for Zorky Krasnogorsk. She played for Sundsvalls DFF in 2013.

International career
Kátia was frequently part of the Brazil women's national football team from 1995 to 2007. She went to three World Cups, finishing in second place in 2007 and third in 1999, as well as being in the quarter-finalist's squad from 2003. While she played in the 2000 Summer Olympics, finishing fourth, Kátia was left out of the team that won an Olympic silver in 2004 due to a knee injury. Kátia retired from the national team after the 2007 Pan American Games in her hometown of Rio de Janeiro, where Brazil won the gold.