Early life
Waksman was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, the daughter of Renato Costa, a former professional footballer, and Jackeline Waksman. [2] [3] She began playing football at school when she was six before joining local club Sogima FC, in the neighborhood of Jacarepaguá. [3] [4] She had a spell with Fluminense before moving to Botafogo at age 11 in December 2020, where she trained with the women's professional side and played for the boys' academy teams, as Botafogo had no girls' academy at the time. [4] [5] In June 2022, she was Botafogo's leading scorer in their victory at the U-13 Metropolitan Championship – and the only girl in the competition – and was the subject of sexist comments from parents of opposing teams. [5] [6] Months later, Botafogo owner John Textor arranged for Waksman and her family to move to Jupiter, Florida, so she could train with his FC Florida Prep Academy and attend the Pine School. [3] [5]
Through three high school seasons, Waksman was twice named the TCPalm Player of the Year and became Pine's all-time scoring leader. [2] [7] She signed an endorsement deal with Adidas in September 2024. [8] She was named the Florida Gatorade Player of the Year in 2025 after pacing the nation with 87 goals in 19 games and leading Pine to its first Class 1A state title game appearance. [7] [9] Goal.com also included her in its list of the world's "25 best teenage wonderkids" in 2025. [10] Reports linked her to Première Ligue club OL Lyonnes, which Textor partly owns. [11]
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