Women's Euros - From Bali to Berlengas: Braga forward Carolina Mendes is blogging her way across the world 

How can globetrotting make you a better football player?

Just ask Carolina Mendes who will be bringing her fair share of experience to the Portuguese Women’s National Football Team this summer at the 2022 UEFA European Women's Championship.- on and off the pitch.

At the age of 34, the Braga forward has played in Spain, Iceland, Russia, Italy, Sweden and her home country of Portugal - racking up countless goals and appearances over the years.

But her off-pitch knowledge is almost as important to her side this summer.

Throughout her career, Mendes has found the time to not only travel the world, but document her journeys.

From exploring some of the furthest points on earth to hopping throughout well known European cities, the striker has scored over 28,000 clicks on her aptly named blog, Viagens Da Carol - Carol’s Travels.

Read on to find out how that helps her become a better striker.

Bettering her game through backpacking

Whether she's hostel hopping across South America or living a life of luxury in Abu Dhabi, Carolina Mendes is ticking off as many countries as possible.

“My other passion is traveling,” she revealed in an interview.

“When football gives me the opportunity of doing that, I travel as much as I can. Since I started traveling so much I feel the necessity to show other people my passion, so I started writing on my blog so other people can see another side of my life outside the football field.”

What started as an enjoyable outlet away from football, quickly intertwined with life on the pitch as Mendes found herself travelling, living and playing in different countries throughout Europe - an experience that she believes has only helped her improve as a player.

“When we leave our comfort zone and go somewhere unfamiliar, you enter a period of continuous learning – every experience is new and totally enriching,” she explained in 2015.

“You start to appreciate those around you more and learn how to handle a variety of situations on your own, which makes you grow as a person. The fact you’re in another country and have the chance to work in a different way and learn about other situations, kinds of football, players and training methods – which can only help you improve and evolve as a player.”

Defying the odds this summer

Mendes’ experience is what gives her the edge heading into this summer’s tournament in England.

In 2016, she lived in Sweden whilst playing for Djurgården - an experience she’ll draw on when she finds herself up against the Swedish National Team in Portugal’s third group stage game of the competition.

Having played in a variety of different environments across Europe, the 34-year-old may find it easier than others to identify the weaknesses of her opponents.

“There are different ideas and ways of training [across Europe], for sure,” she explained in an interview.

“In the Nordic countries football is a lot more physical, while in Italy, Spain and Portugal football is based more on technique.”

As a last minute entry to this year’s European Championships, Portugal having nothing to lose and absolutely everything to gain - even more so with a striker of Mendes’ stature leading the way.

Football’s future in Portugal

Yet to have a women’s league as strongly recognised as England’s WSL or France’s Division 1 Feminine, it’s evident that Portugal has work to do.

Mendes’ current team Braga and her previous club Sporting dominate the domestic scene but still struggle to leave a mark in any wider European clashes.  

“[Portugal] are making a lot of progress, but there are still many things to do about that,” said Mendes, talking about the state of women’s football in her home country.

“We have two major teams and we are gaining visibility: there are a lot more people in stadiums for the matches. The Federation is helping national teams a lot and we are getting positive results. This too will help get us visibility.”

There’s no doubt that their last-minute inclusion this summer will do wonders for the visibility of women’s football in Portugal.

It’s now down to Mendes and Co. to grasp the opportunity with both hands, leaving as big an impact on the European stage as possible. Only then will their home country really feel the full force of women’s football.

“People are starting to see us with different eyes. For me it is a big step forward, it can change our culture. These are battles we have fought for a long time and things are finally changing.”