Mônica Angélica de Paula, or simply Mônica (born on April 4, 1978 in São Paulo

São Paulo

São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...

) is a Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

ian women's soccer player. She currently plays as a defender

Defender (football)

Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....

 for Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

's Botucatu FC

Botucatu Futebol Clube

Botucatu Futebol Clube, usually known simply as Botucatu, is a Brazilian women's football team, from Botucatu, São Paulo state.-History:...

. She was a member of the Brazilian National Team

Brazil women's national football team

The Brazil women's national football team represents Brazil in international women's association football. Brazil played their first game on July 22, 1986 against the United States....

 that won the silver medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics

2004 Summer Olympics

The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...

.

Mônica only began playing soccer in 1999. Before, she used to practice basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

 — even played with Adrianinha and Kelly of the current national team

Brazil women's national basketball team

Brazil women's national basketball team is the official women's basketball team for Brazil. They won the 1994 FIBA World Championship for Women in Australia.-Olympic Games:* 1992: 7th place* 1996: 2nd place * 2000: 3rd place...

 — and volleyball

Volleyball

Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...

, which she abandoned after a pregnancy. In her pro career, she also played for São Paulo

São Paulo Futebol Clube

São Paulo Futebol Clube , commonly known as São Paulo, is a professional football club based in São Paulo, Brazil. They play in the Campeonato Paulista, São Paulo's state league, and the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A or Brasileirão, Brazil's national league, and are one of the only five clubs to...

, Matonense and Araraquara.http://esporte.uol.com.br/olimpiadas/brasileiros/futebol/monica.jhtm