West Boca Raton soccer star Giovana Canali achieves dream with Brazilian national team

West Boca’s Giovana Canali had a dream come true this month — for the third time.

Ever since she was a little girl, Canali has dreamt of playing for the Brazilian national team, and this December marked not the first but the third time the Miami commit was called up to play for the U20 squad.

In an interview during the high school soccer postseason two seasons ago, Canali told The Post about her dream of one day playing on the famed Brazilian national team.

“I finally made it,” Canali said. “When I made it, it was a total surprise for me. I didn’t believe it. I didn’t believe I actually made it until I saw the ticket that I was flying to Brazil and actually playing with them. It’s incredible.”

And coming off the bench, playing against Belgium, Canali one-upped her dream.

She scored.

The striker took a steep cross, whipped her head around, and sent the ball into the bottom left of the goal, past the diving Belgium keeper.

“It was amazing,” Canali said. “It was literally a dream come true. I couldn’t believe it when it happened. I’m literally living a dream.”

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She lay for a moment in the grass, soaking in the moment, as U20 teammates surrounded her, celebrating the success of her accomplishment on the biggest stage of her career.

Getting to that moment was a journey in itself for Canali.

After getting called up by the U20 squad first in July, Canali was called up again in the fall and then once more in December, when she finally made her in-game appearance.

“They put on the radio in Brazil, so the coach called out the names, and I’m literally holding my heart out and when they say your name out, it’s a relief,” Canali said of getting called up.

“They say it on YouTube, but in Brazil, they put it on the TV,” she continued. “They said my name and I couldn’t believe it, and then they posted it on Instagram and I saw my name there.”

The recognition by her dream team follows the beginning of another illustrious season for Canali at West Boca.

The senior leads the Bulls with nine goals — nearly half of the total goals West Boca has scored this year — and has also played provider four times to lead the way in the assist category as well.

Tammy Mazza, who is in her first year coaching at West Boca, recognized Canali’s talent immediately and is pushing the star even further in her senior year development before she leaves for the college pitch.

“She’s committed to the game,” Mazza said. “She watches the game. She understands the game. She really is a fantastic player. I feel lucky and honored to be a part of her future.”

So, what's next for Canali? Her guess is as good as yours.

"Since every call-up is a surprise, I can't figure out if I'm going to get called up again or not."

That said, the South American Cup is approaching in April 2024 — and beyond that, the World Cup U20 in 2025 in Chile.

"Hopefully I'll make it to the World Cup U20 in August, September," she said. "That would be amazing."

Alex Peterman is a high school sports reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at apeterman@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: West Boca Raton's Giovana Canali rises to Brazil national soccer team