Brazilian superstar opposite hitter Tandara Caixeta has announced in her official Instagram page that she is transferring to China, although she didn`t specify a club. After five Superliga seasons with Osasco, the last in which she broke the competition`s single season scoring record, she talked to fans about choosing to leave for foreign seas at what she thinks is the right time (Globo.com):
“Osasco. We had 5 seasons with a lot of dedication, fights, victories, challenges, defeats, crying, screams of joy and anger, growth, and of course, a lot of smiles. This may be one of the most hurtful goodbyes of my life. I will miss the crowd pushing us at Liberatti, calling us Osasco Crazy, specially when they so love-fully called me Powerful Tandara or Pitbull Tandara. I can only thank everyone who taught me a lot, including the technical staff, management, sponsors, and everyone who is involved in Osasco volleyball in some way and who made it possible for me to live in this city for the last 10 years. Now it`s time to look for new challenges, new flights. Everybody that knows me knows that I am moved by these kind of goals.
I`ll be gone for a little while but I`ll come back soon.
To all, my deepest gratitude.”
She then spoke to Saida de Rede Blog on why she chose China as her first destination abroad:
“Since it`s my first season abroad, I chose a league that has a shorter season, of 4 or 6 months at most, because I have a young daughter who is about to turn 3 years old, and this will be a big change for her. Leaving for the international market is long overdue for me. I want to play in tournaments like the CEV Champions League and CEP Cup. I want to play against the world`s best in one single tournament. So that is my plan, first go to China, where the game is played at high speeds and the athletes are very tall and skilled, and then next go to an European league.”
However, we all know money played a major role in her decision, as China, while not boasting a highly competitive top tier league, is currently one of the few places that can afford Tandara`s astronomical salary. Let`s see how much she can further develop her play. Brazil`s NT can only benefit from her decision to expose herself to even tougher competition in the future, as she still probably has at least one more Olympic Games in her (Tandara is currently 29 years old).
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