Chelsea hotshot Cat had her sights set on being a keeper

Catarina Macario wanted to be a goalkeeper before some helpful advice from her dad set her on a path to becoming a red-hot striker.

The United States international, who was born in Brazil, netted on her debut for Emma Hayes' Chelsea during Sunday's 4-0 win at Leicester to put a lengthy injury nightmare behind her.

Having joined the Women's Super League champions last summer, Macario had to bide her time as she recovered from an ACL injury sustained in June 2022 while playing for former club Lyon.

And the 24-year-old ace admits she had initially planned to stop goals instead of scoring them.

Speaking to Chelsea's official website, Macario said: "I got into football at the age of four because I wanted to follow in my older brother's footsteps.

"I liked watching him train and I was running around chasing a football.

"I liked the thought of being a goalkeeper. When I see drills you have to be super agile to jump to the top corner and it looks really fun!

"Dad shut that down pretty quickly. He noticed that I had a very powerful shot.

"Eventually, I thought he's right and I should probably be wherever is closer to goal, so forward it is!"

After leaving Brazil for the US, Macario laid the foundations for becoming one of the most highly-regarded young prospects on the world stage.

And it was at Lyon where she caught the eye of Chelsea, who swooped for the forward in July 2023 despite the fact injury had forced her to sit out the whole of last season.

Macario added: "My parents made enormous sacrifices in order for me to get to where I am today.

"At the time, seeing a girl playing among the boys was not common. They always supported me and were never against me doing that, even though they received negative comments about letting their daughter play.

"I'm grateful for them always pushing me and they are the reason I do what I do."