 Ludmila playing forBrazil at the2019 SheBelieves Cup | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Ludmila da Silva | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1994-12-01)1 December 1994 (age 30) | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Guarulhos, Brazil | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.60 m (5 ft 3 in) | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Forward | ||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | Chicago Stars | ||||||||||||||||
| Number | 14 | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| CA Juventus | |||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2011 | CA Juventus | ||||||||||||||||
| 2012 | São Caetano | ||||||||||||||||
| 2013 | Portuguesa | ||||||||||||||||
| 2013 | Rio Preto | 6 | (3) | ||||||||||||||
| 2015–2017 | São José | 15 | (6) | ||||||||||||||
| 2017–2024 | Atlético Madrid | 137 | (59) | ||||||||||||||
| 2024– | Chicago Stars | 27 | (13) | ||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
| 2017– | Brazil | 57 | (5) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 9 October 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 23:10, 29 July 2024 (UTC) | |||||||||||||||||
Ludmila da Silva (born 1 December 1994), commonly known asLudmila, is a Brazilian professionalfootballer who plays as aforward forChicago Stars FC of the AmericanNational Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and theBrazil national team.
A high school athletics champion, Ludmila took up organized football at the relatively late age of 15. She was noticed by a scout from CA Juventus and then moved on to play for São Caetano, Portuguesa, Rio Preto andSão José as a fast and strongwinger.[1]
In August 2017, Ludmila agreed to a transfer to SpanishPrimera División clubAtlético Madrid.[2] Her exceptional pace led her to be dubbed: "Road Runner".[3] Good performances and six goals in the first half season prompted Atlético to extend her initial two-year contract by another year in December 2017.[4]
In September 2018, Ludmila assisted the first goal and scored the second to eliminateManchester City from the2018–19 UEFA Women's Champions League Round of 32, securing Atlético's place in theRound of 16.[5]
On 29 July 2024, theChicago Red Stars (later named Chicago Stars FC) announced that they had signed Ludmila to a three-year contract through the 2026 season.[6] She scored her firstNWSL goal on September 21, 2024, lifting the team to a 1–0 victory over theSan Diego Wave.[7][8] The Red Stars would go on to qualify for the playoffs, where they lost to theOrlando Pride 4–1 in the first round.[9][10] Ludmila was unable to play in the match, instead serving a three-game suspension following an altercation withWashington Spirit forwardRosemonde Kouassi during the penultimate game of theRed Stars' 2024 regular season.[11][12]
In a 3–3 draw with theNorth Carolina Courage on 22 August 2025, Ludmila scored a ten-minutehat-trick to help the Stars come back from a 2–0 deficit and tie the game; her flurry of goals set an NWSL record for fastest hat-trick in league history.[13] She was subsequently named theNWSL Player of the Week for the first time in her career.[14]
Ludmila was part of theBrazilian under-20 selection at the2014 South American U-20 Women's Championship in Uruguay, scoring three goals at the tournament. In the 2–0 final win overParaguay, she won a penalty whichAndressa converted, and then scored the second goal herself.[15]
In June 2017, Ludmila was called up to the seniorBrazil squad for the first time for afriendly match againstGermany inSandhausen. She reportedly did not have a passport and had to urgently obtain one to accept the call-up. She stated that national coachEmily Lima, previously her boss at Juventus and São José, was a mother figure to her.[16] In Germany, Brazil fielded a weakened team as the match was outside FIFA-specified international dates and some regular players were unable to attend. Ludmila capitalised on an error by German goalkeeperAlmuth Schult to mark her debut with a goal, but Brazil lost 3–1.[17]
In previous training sessions with the national team, Ludmila had been stung by criticism from a team official who suggested she was good at running but did not know when to release the ball.[18] Ludmila scored the only goal in abehind closed doors training match againstCanada in Ottawa on 4 September 2018.[19]
Ludmila was named to the Brazil roster that competed in the2024 Paris Olympics.[20] She started the tournament final against theUnited States and appeared to have scored the opening goal in the 16th minute, only to have the strike ruled asoffside. The United States would go on to beat Ludmila and Brazil 1–0 on a goal fromMallory Swanson.[21][22]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 4 July 2017 | BWT-Stadion am Hardtwald,Sandhausen,Germany |  Germany | 1–1 | 1–3 | Friendly |
| 2. | 29 August 2019 | Pacaembu Stadium,São Paulo,Brazil |  Argentina | 1–0 | 5–0 | 2019 Torneio Internacional de Futebol Feminino |
| 3. | 10 March 2020 | Stade de l'Épopée,Calais,France |  Canada | 2–0 | 2–2 | 2020 Tournoi de France |
| 4. | 24 July 2021 | Miyagi Stadium,Rifu,Japan |  Netherlands | 3–2 | 3–3 | 2020 Summer Olympics |
| 5. | 22 February 2023 | Toyota Stadium,Frisco,United States |  United States | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2023 SheBelieves Cup |
Ludmila is Afro-Brazilian and was brought up in afavela[23] by her aunt, as her mother left the family and her father died during her childhood. In 2016, her older sister also died.[24]
Brazil
Brazil squads | |||||||||||||||||||
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