KC Current star Debinha honored with giant figure in Brazil Carnival celebration

During the typical “Fat Tuesday” and Mardi Gras celebrations around the world, Brazil takes it to another level with its Carnaval festivities.

The street and block parties begin the weekend before, and depending upon where you go in Brazil, the celebrations can differ. The party lasts until Ash Wednesday, but not before plenty of partying and fun.

In Brasópolis, Brazil, the tradition of honoring people from the city and region is celebrated through large Bonecos de Olinda, larger-than-life puppets made of papier-mache that stand nearly 9 feet tall. During this year’s festivities, among those honored by the city was none other than Kansas City Current star Debinha — who came to global stardom from Brasópolis — by creating a boneco in her likeness.

“The first time that I saw it, I was so happy,” Debinha told reporters during media day, “Because It’s something big in the city. To see me there is kind of funny, but I was so happy to see that.”

Like any large country, traditions surrounding an event like Carnival vary region by region. Debinha said the bonecos are more popular in the northern states. Brasópolis is located in the southernmost part of Minas Gerais, located in the southeast of Brazil.

While Debinha mentioned that they are typically much larger in Salvador, the capital of the state of Bahia, the origin of the bonecos lies in Olinda, a city even further north in the state of Pernambuco.

The tradition was brought to Pernambuco by a Belgian priest, who inspired a young man in the city of Belem do São Francisco, who told of how the larger-than-life-sized dolls were used in festivals across Europe. In the 1930s, the tradition of bonecos made its way to Olinda, where it took on new life.

Local leaders and societal influencers have been featured in the bonecos. And in more recent years, those figures have dipped further into global entertainment and sports culture. Everyone from the local mayor to Michael Jackson, The Hulk, Elvis Presley, Pele, The Beatles, and more have been created and featured as a boneco.

Debinha’s path to stardom out of Brasópolis took plenty of twists and turns. Playing for multiple teams in Brazil, she moved to Norway in 2013 before playing in China in 2016. She then signed with the NWSL’s Western New York Flash in 2017. The team was eventually moved to North Carolina, where Debinha starred until 2022, winning multiple NWSL championships and NWSL Shields, among many other trophies and accolades.

She signed with the Kansas City Current in 2023 and is under contract through the 2026 season. The Current begins its quest to defend the 2025 NWSL Shield on March 16.

Daniel Sperry covers soccer for The Star. He can be reached at sperry.danielkc@gmail.com.