Kika Nazareth

Kika Nazareth
Nazareth in 2026
Personal information
Full name Francisca Ramos Ribeiro Nazareth Sousa
Date of birth (2002-11-17) 17 November 2002[1]
Place of birth Lisbon, Portugal[2]
Height 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)[3]
Positions
Team information
Current team
 Barcelona
Number 18
Youth career
2016–2017 CF Benfica
2017–2018 Casa Pia A.C.
2018–2020 Benfica
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018–2024 Benfica 68 (57)
2024– Barcelona 38 (12)
International career‡
2018–2019 Portugal U17 13 (5)
2019–2020 Portugal U19 7 (6)
2020– Portugal 52 (13)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 27 March 2026
‡ National team caps and goals as of 18 April 2026

Francisca Ramos Ribeiro Nazareth Sousa (born 17 November 2002), commonly known as Kika or Kika Nazareth,[4] is a Portuguese footballer who plays for Liga F club Barcelona and the Portugal national team.

Club career

Benfica

Nazareth made her senior debut for Benfica at the age of 16 and signed her first professional contract with the club on 7 October 2020, at the age of 17.[5]

On the 2023–24 season, Nazareth was part of the historic Benfica team that won all four domestic competitions:[6] the Supertaça de Portugal, the Taça da Liga, the Campeonato Nacional, and the Taça de Portugal.

Nazareth was forced to miss two months of play after sustaining an injury in early January 2024.[7] She returned in March[8] and quickly took back her spot in the starting lineup.

Barcelona

On 4 July 2024,[9] Nazareth completed a move to Liga F side FC Barcelona for €500,000, a record fee for the women's football in Portugal.[10] She made her official debut in a 3–0 win against Deportivo de La Coruña in early September,[11] and scored her first league goal for the club in a 4–1 win over Levante in late October.[12]

Nazareth secured her first piece of silverware with Barcelona on 26 January 2025, when the culers defeated rivals Real Madrid 5–0 to claim the Spanish Supercup.[13]

On the second leg of the Copa de la Reina semi-final against Real Madrid, Nazareth suffered a serious ankle injury, forcing her to be substituted off at half-time. This injury would force the end of her club football season, and brought her participation in the 2025 Euro into question.[14] From the sidelines, Nazareth saw Barcelona win a record sixth consecutive Liga F title and second consecutive Copa de la Reina.[15][16] Barcelona could not secure a Champions League victory, losing 1-0 against Arsenal in the final, held in Nazareth's hometown of Lisbon.[17] She was able to help Barcelona win the 2024-25 Copa Catalunya Femenina, given the large interval of over six months between the semi-finals and final.[18]

In the 2025–26 season, Nazareth helped Barcelona to win another quadruple (the club's fourth overall and second to include the Champion's League).[19] The team won every competition they entered that season, further cementing their stronghold both nationally and continentally. With Barcelona's Champions League victory, Nazareth became only the second Portuguese player to win the women's competition, following the footsteps of former teammate Jéssica Silva.[20]

International career

Nazareth made her debut for the Portugal national team on 4 March 2020, coming on as a substitute for Carolina Mendes in the 2020 Algarve Cup.[2][21] She scored her first and second goals for the Portugal national team on 22 June 2022 in a 4–0 friendly win against Greece.[22] On 30 May 2023, she was included in the 23-player squad for the 2023 World Cup.[23] During the tournament, she became the youngest-ever player to score for Portugal in a World Cup, breaking a record previously set in 2006 by Cristiano Ronaldo.[24]

On 24 June 2025, Nazareth was called up to the Portugal squad for the 2025 Euro.[25] She had not played since March, having suffered an ankle injury requiring surgery.[26] At the tournament, Nazareth played two group-stage matches, but did not manage to contribute with any goals or assists. The Portuguese team were eliminated in the group stage after collecting only one point in three matches, suffering losses to both Spain and Belgium, and drawing against Italy.[27]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 21 March 2026[28]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Continental[c] Other[d] Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Benfica 2018–19 II Divisão Feminino 100000——10
2019–20 Campeonato Nacional Feminino 231020——53
2020–21 151210413 0—2413
2021–22 13102041103103014
2022–23 1715564381113626
2023–24 1817211095223125
Total 66571171553094312681
Barcelona 2024–25 Liga F 19330006330296
2025–26 19921005110135
Total 38125100114405817
Career total 1046916815541138318498

International

As of match played 18 April 2026[29]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Portugal 2020 1 0
2021 10 0
2022 12 6
2023 12 1
2024 7 2
2025 6 1
2026 4 3
Total5213
Scores and results list Portugal's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Nazareth goal.
List of international goals scored by Kika Nazareth
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 23 June 2022 Estadio do Restelo, Lisbon, Portugal  Greece 2–0 4–0 Friendly
2 4–0
3 2 September 2022 Serbian FA Sports Center, Stara Pazova, Serbia  Serbia 2–1 2–1 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification
4 6 September 2022 Estádio do FC Vizela, Vizela, Portugal  Turkey 2–0 4–0 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification
5 11 October 2022 Estádio da Mata Real, Paços de Ferreira, Portugal  Iceland 4–1 4–1 (a.e.t.) 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification – UEFA play-offs
6 11 November 2022 Estádio Municipal José Martins Vieira, Almada, Portugal  Haiti 5–0 5–0 Friendly
7 27 July 2023 Waikato Stadium, Hamilton, New Zealand  Vietnam 2–0 2–0 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup
8 4 June 2024 Mourneview Park, Lurgan, Northern Ireland  Northern Ireland 1–1 2–1 UEFA Women's Euro 2025 qualifying
9 29 November 2024 Estádio do Dragão, Porto, Portugal  Czech Republic 1–1 1–1 UEFA Women's Euro 2025 qualifying play-offs
10 21 February 2025 Estádio Municipal de Portimão, Portimão, Portugal  England 2025 UEFA Women's Nations League
11 14 April 2026 Daugava Stadium, Riga, Latvia  Latvia 1–0 3–0 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification
12 3–0
13 18 April 2026 Futbal Tatran Arena, Prešov, Slovakia  Slovakia 2–1 2–1 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification
14 5 June 2026 Estádio António Coimbra da Mota, Estoril, Portugal  Latvia 3–0 5–0 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification
15 4–0

Honours

Benfica

Barcelona

Individual

  • Cosme Damião Awards – Women's Revelation of the Year: 2022[36]
  • Cosme Damião Awards – Women's Footballer of the Year: 2023, 2024[37]
  • Campeonato Nacional Feminino Player of the Year: 2023–24
  • Campeonato Nacional Feminino Player of the Month: September/October 2023
  • Campeonato Nacional Feminino Golden Boot: 2023–24
  • Mundo Deportivo Revelation Player award: 2024[38]

References

  1. ↑ Kika Nazareth at Soccerway. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Kika Nazareth". Global Sports Archive. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  3. ↑ "Play-Off Tournament for the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023" (PDF). FIFA. 12 February 2023. p. 1. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  4. ↑ "Kika Nazareth". World Football. Archived from the original on 13 July 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  5. ↑ Fernandes Garcia, Filipa (7 October 2020). "Francisca Nazareth assina contrato profissional" (in Portuguese). Benfica. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  6. ↑ ""Full season: Benfica wins the Portuguese Cup!" (Portuguese article)". zerozero.pt.
  7. ↑ ""Kika Nazareth injured and expected to miss two months" (Portuguese article)". www.record.pt.
  8. ↑ ""Kika Nazareth back in Benfica's squad two months later" (Portuguese article)". www.record.pt.
  9. ↑ "Agreement to sign Kika Nazareth until 2028". FC Barcelona. 4 July 2024. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  10. ↑ "Oficial. Kika Nazareth já é jogadora do Barcelona, mas promete voltar um dia ao Benfica" (in Portuguese). Diário de Notícias. 4 July 2024. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  11. ↑ "Deportivo La Coruña 0 FT 3 Barcelona". ESPN. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  12. ↑ "Levante 1-4 Barça: Seven out of seven". FC Barcelona. 20 October 2024. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  13. ↑ Marsden, Sam; Llorens, Moises (26 January 2025). "Barcelona Femení claim 4th straight Supercopa with Real Madrid rout". ESPN. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  14. ↑ Marsden, Sam (19 March 2025). "Barcelona's Kika Nazareth (ankle) to miss four months". ESPN. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  15. ↑ "Barça Women claim their seventh league title in a row". FC Barcelona. 22 April 2025. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  16. ↑ "11th Copa de la Reina for Barça Women". FC Barcelona. 7 June 2025. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  17. ↑ "Women's Champions League final highlights, report: Stina Blackstenius strikes as Arsenal dethrone Barcelona". UEFA. 24 May 2025. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  18. ↑ "FC Barcelona - FC Badalona Women: Campiones de la Copa Catalunya (1-0)". www.fcbarcelona.cat (in Catalan). 16 August 2025. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  19. ↑ Marsden, Sam; Keogh, Emily (23 May 2026). "Barcelona reign supreme in the Champions League, earn yet another quadruple". ESPN. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  20. ↑ "Portugal: Five players to watch". FIFA. 9 July 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  21. ↑ "Portugal vs Italy". Global Sports Archive. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  22. ↑ "First goals in the win of Portugal". SL Benfica. 23 June 2022. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  23. ↑ White, Mark (7 June 2023). "Portugal Women's World Cup 2023 squad: 23-player team named". fourfourtwo.com. Archived from the original on 20 June 2023. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  24. ↑ Merrell, Chloe (2 July 2025). "Who is Kika Nazareth? Get to know the leader of Portugal's next generation". www.olympics.com. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  25. ↑ "Lista final com Kika Nazareth: as 23 convocadas de Portugal para o Europeu feminino" (in European Portuguese). Record. 24 June 2025.
  26. ↑ Marsden, Sam (26 June 2025). "Euro 2025: Kika Nazareth in Portugal squad despite injury concerns". ESPN. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  27. ↑ Lacey-Hatton, Jack (13 July 2025). "Portugal Women Euro 2025 squad: Francisco Neto's full team". FourFourTwo. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  28. ↑ "Kika Nazareth". Soccerdonna. Retrieved 27 March 2026.
  29. ↑ "Francisca Nazareth". Federação Portuguesa de Futebol. Retrieved 27 March 2026.
  30. ↑ "10th Liga F title for Barça Women". FC Barcelona. 11 May 2025. Archived from the original on 16 June 2025. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  31. ↑ Marsden, Sam (22 April 2026). "Barcelona win 7th straight Liga F title to further quadruple quest". espn.com. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
  32. ↑ "Barça 2-0 Atlético Madrid: Pina wins the crown for the queens of the cup". FC Barcelona. 7 June 2025. Archived from the original on 7 June 2025. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
  33. ↑ Marsden, Sam (17 May 2026). "Barcelona win Copa de la Reina, stay on track for quadruple". espn.co.uk. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  34. ↑ "Sixth Super Cup for FC Barcelona". FC Barcelona Femení. 24 January 2026. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
  35. ↑ Rajan, Adwaidh (23 May 2026). "Barcelona 4–0 Lyonnes". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved 24 May 2026.
  36. ↑ "Cloé Lacasse e Kika Nazareth distinguidas nos Galardões Cosme Damião". ZeroZero (in Portuguese). 3 March 2022.
  37. ↑ "Gala Cosme Damião: João Neves, Roger Schmidt e Kika Nazareth entre os premiados". ZeroZero (in Portuguese). 26 March 2024. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  38. ↑ "Graham Named MVP at IV Women's Football Gala by Mundo Deportivo". Footboom. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
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