Ana Markovic is not only attracting a lot of attention because of her football skills. The 24-year-old has been described by international media as the “most beautiful footballer in the world” several times in recent years. Now, after four years, she is changing clubs – also out of love.
The Croatian international has been playing for Grasshoppers Zurich since 2020, and has now moved to Portuguese first division club SC Braga. The reason for this is not her great idol Cristiano Ronaldo, but her boyfriend. Tomas Ribeiro is a professional at first division club Vitoria Guimaraes – the two cities are only about a 30-minute drive apart.
Ana Markovic moves from Grasshoppers Zurich to SC Braga
“I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support! I will miss you all, as you are now my family too,” wrote Markovic to the Zurich fans.
With her 3.2 million followers on Instagram, Markovic will ensure a lot of attention for her new club. Attention that Portuguese women’s football can really use. In recent years, this has grown steadily – the women’s team from Benfica Lisbon reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League after beating Eintracht Frankfurt in the group stage.
Fans celebrate change on Instagram
Their new club was only founded in 2016 and has been playing in the top division ever since. The team finished last season in fifth place. Braga also won the championship in 2019 and won the cup the following year.
In addition to her life as a professional footballer, Markovic owns a start-up for protein water. The brand “Reloadz” focuses on plant-based proteins and is intended to contribute to muscle regeneration.
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Fans are already excited. One user commented on her post: “I’ve been a fan of Sporting Lisbon for almost three years. Now I support Braga, just because of you, Ana!” Another described the transfer as “too perfect”.