Pretinha
A relentless goal-scoring forward who became a cornerstone of Brazil's women's national team and a global soccer trailblazer.
Born 1975 (age 51)·Brazilian footballer·Birthday: May 19·Generation X
Biography
Delma Gonçalves, known to the world as Pretinha, carved out a legendary career with a striker's instinct and a pioneer's resolve. Bursting onto the scene as a teenager, she became a fixture for the Brazilian national team during its rise to global prominence, her speed and finishing a constant threat for over 15 years. While Marta would later become the face of Brazilian women's soccer, Pretinha was part of the foundational generation that built its reputation. Her club career was a map of the women's game's professionalization, taking her from the fields of Brazil to the nascent WUSA in the United States, then to Japan and South Korea. She played with a joyful, attacking flair that embodied the Brazilian style, all while competing in an era where recognition and resources were hard-won.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Pretinha was born in 1975, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Pretinha Was Born
The biggest hits of 1975
#1 Movie
Jaws
Best Picture
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
#1 TV Show
All in the Family
Pretinha's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1975Born
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1980Started school
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1988Became a teenager
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1991Could drive
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
1993Could vote
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
1996Turned 21
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2005Turned 30
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
2015Turned 40
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2025Turned 50
AI agents go mainstream
Gas: $3.10/galHome: $385,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"APT." — Rose & Bruno Mars
2026Age 51 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Represented Brazil in four FIFA Women's World Cup tournaments (1995, 1999, 2003, 2007).
- Won a silver medal with Brazil at the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games.
- Scored over 30 international goals for the Brazilian national team across her career.
- Played professionally in four different countries: Brazil, the United States, Japan, and South Korea.
- Helped the Washington Freedom win the final WUSA championship in 2003.
Did You Know?
Her nickname 'Pretinha' means 'little black one' in Portuguese.
She played alongside Mia Hamm on the Washington Freedom in the WUSA.
After retiring, she transitioned into coaching, working with youth and women's teams in Brazil.
She was part of the Brazilian squad that famously lost to the USA in the dramatic 1999 World Cup final.
“I was born to play football, and I played with my heart for Brazil.”
