Brazilian rising star Ana Cristina joins ranks of Fenerbahce to follow in footsteps of famous compatriot Alex
News
Brazilian rising Volleyball star Ana Cristina de Souza will join the ranks of Fenerbahce Opet ISTANBUL for the 2021/2022 season. The Turkish heavyweight released the news of the transfer on June 3, to coincide with the 17th anniversary of the day when Fenerbahce signed Brazilian soccer player Alex de Souza back in 2004. Alex eventually played for Fenerbahce for as many as 12 years and there is even a statue paying tribute to him in the district of Kadiköy, Istanbul. Fenerbahce fans have reacted enthusiastically to the news, especially since Ana Cristina shares with Alex the same family name.
Ana Cristina was born in 2004 and she is the daughter of former Volleyball player Cecília Menezes de Souza. She started playing Volleyball at a young age and after quickly drawing attention from the coaching staff, she joined and made a name for herself while playing for the Brazilian youth and junior national teams. Ana Cristina received the awards for the ‘Best Opposite’ and ‘Best Outside-Hitter’ at the 2018 FIVB U18 South American Championship and the 2019 FIVB U18 Girls’ World Championship, respectively, claiming the World Championship bronze medal in the process.
In the recently concluded 2020/2021 season, she emerged as the Best Spiker and top scorer of the Brazilian League while playing for Sesc RJ Flamengo.
Her famous compatriot Alex de Souza recorded and posted a video to wish Ana Cristina the best of luck in her adventure with Fenerbahce and the Yellow Angels: “Hi Ana! How are you? I am making this video to wish you good luck! You are now a part of the Fenerbahce family and I believe you will be very happy. Fenerbahce is like a family and Turkish people are very hospitable. Volleyball is a very popular sport there. I hope you can collect as many nice memories as possible with your yellow and blue navy shirt. I always support Fenerbahce even from Brazil, but my support has now increased with the addition of another Brazilian to the Fenerbahce family. I wish you happiness and hope you enjoy this new experience. All the best!”
Click here to watch Alex's Instagram message to Ana Cristina.