KC Current’s Bia Zaneratto to miss Paris Olympics with foot injury

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — One of the Kansas City Current’s best attackers will miss the 2024 Paris Olympics and maybe some time with the Current.

Brazilian striker Bia Zaneratto posted on social media on Sunday evening that she will miss the Olympics after suffering a “stress fracture in the fourth metatarsal What takes away any chance of living the Olympic dream.” in her foot against the Houston Dash on Friday after playing the first half.

Zaneratto said she’s been struggling with plantar fasciitis pain. She’s missed four games with a foot injury this season.

“I’ve always considered myself very strong, a person who can really stand pain,” she said in the post. “I overcame myself during those months to be able to play and have the chance to be in another Olympics.”

After the match, head coach Vlatko Andonovski said her foot was bothering her and their main priority was to have her available for the international tournament.

“We don’t want to overdo anything. The moment we feel like she’s having a problem with that, we pull her out,” he said. “There is no reason to jeopardize her health for injuries. Our goal is to prepare her to be healthy, hopefully for the Olympics, and then come back healthy and have her for the rest of the season.”

Zaneratto is a pivotal piece to the Current and is second on the team with nine goal contributions (five goals, four assists). She was called upon to the Brazilian national team during the international break but remained in KC to recover.

“I don’t even need to say how much it hurts in my heart to go through this, but I sure did my best, I did everything I could,” she said. “I accept that it was meant to be like this, there are things that no matter how much we want, it’s not meant to be. The man upstairs has always taken care of everything and now it [won’t] be any different, grateful for the hardships I’ve faced along the way and everything it’s taught me thus far.”

Fellow Brazilian teammate Debinha may be selected for Brazil’s Olympic team as she was called up to the team and scored a goal in one of their friendlies against Jamaica in June.

Debinha has a goal and two assists in 11 matches this season.

The first-place Current have a highly anticipated match against second-place Orlando Pride on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. at CPKC Stadium.

Both teams are unbeaten this season at 10-0-5, the Current just set an NWSL record for the longest undefeated streak with 17 matches unbeaten dating back to last season, and the winner gets sole possession at the top of the table.

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