By Lori Ewing
MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) – Manchester City women signed Brazil forward Kerolin Nicoli, the 2023 National Women’s Soccer League’s most valuable player, to a three-and-a-half year deal on Wednesday.
The 25-year-old Nicoli, a silver medallist at the 2024 Paris Olympics, joins from North Carolina Courage where she became the first South American to be named league MVP after leading her side to the Challenge Cup in 2023.
“I think there were a lot of reasons why I chose City and one of those was to play in the Champions League,” Nicoli said in a statement.
“I think the players (in the WSL) are really technical and the team is compact. I want to be better, to learn different things and to come here to be challenged, also play against the defenders who will play in the next World Cup in Brazil in 2027.”
Nicoli — who is also known by just her first name Kerolin — has 45 national team caps and joins City following a successful spell at North Carolina, where she scored 13 goals in 24 games.
“Kerolin is creative, quick, and will add even more firepower to our forward line,” said the club’s women’s Director of Football Therese Sjogran.
She informed North Carolina last week that she intended to leave as a free agent.
City are fourth in the Women’s Super League standings, nine points behind first-placed Chelsea. They face Manchester United in a League Cup quarter-final later on Wednesday.
(Reporting by Lori Ewing; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Reuters news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.