From award-winning filmmaker to Mermaid of the Village: meet Reina Bonta, hope for titles in Santos
The 24-year-old Zagueira is a Yale graduate and is the daughter of California's attorney general, but chose to play for the Philippines national team
SUMMARIZING THE NEWS
Reina Bonta is one of the newest signings in Santos women's football
The defender was born in the United States, but is the number 10 jersey of the Philippines national team
Mermaid of the Village, she classifies as "honor" to be able to be in the same team as Pelé, Marta and Neymar
Far from her native country, the athlete seeks to adapt to Brazilian culture and is passionate about feijoada
The Mermaids of the Village enter the field on Thursday (18) against São José, for the third round of the São Paulo Women's Championship, and with an important reinforcement among the starters: Reina Bonta. The 24-year-old defender is one of Santos' recent signings and impresses not only with her qualities within the four leagues. The young woman has an admirable and somewhat curious resume: she studied film at Yale – one of the leading universities in the USA – and was even awarded as a filmmaker, is shirt 10 in the selection of the Philippines, in addition to being the daughter of the Attorney General of California.
In an exclusive interview with R7, the defender said that defending Santos is synonymous with pride, since Vila Belmiro was also the home of the King and Queen of Football: Pelé and Marta. Reina confessed that, even though he grew up in California, he had heard about Alvinegro Praiano and that everyone knows the importance and legacy of the club.
"When I got here and got to experience 'live', it was surreal. Living in the village, going through the statue of Pelé every day, playing with athletes who have played with Marta for years and having the opportunity to meet Neymar 'at the gate of the house' – all this makes the experience at Santos very noble and unique," said the player.
Announced in March of this year, the defender is still adapting to Brazilian culture. However, she already declares herself in love with street fair and feijoada. Before making the move to the coastal city, the athlete was afraid, but explains that the love she receives from the fans, teammates and coaching staff make the transition smooth.
"Santos looks like a family and I love spending time with the team and the family, at barbecues, going to the street fair, on the beach, watching the men's team and eating feijoada. There are many aspects about living in Santos that make me grateful to be here every day and I still have a lot to experience as well," she said.
Born in the United States, she left her family to be able to play in the Brazilian club. Before that, however, the now advocate studied Cinema at Yale, one of the most famous and traditional universities in the North American country, and graduated as a filmmaker. Life behind the camera is successful, just like in football.
The director of the semi-autobiographical short film named "Lahi," she has toured Oscar-eligible film festivals, secured the audience award at the Filipino San Diego Film Festival, and won streaming distribution for release in 2024.
Reina directed the short film "Lahi" during the pandemic
His father, Robert Andres Bonta, is California's attorney general, and his mother, Mia Tania Bonta, is a member of the State Assembly. He, who became the first Filipino-American in office in 2021, encouraged his daughter to go to the Fish.
At the time of university, Robert also played football and, because he was always connected to the sport, enrolled Reina, at the age of 2, in a field soccer team. "My dad is my best friend and role model. If there's anyone prouder than me that I'm playing for Santos, it's him. He is very honest, caring, selfless and I hope to replicate his values of social justice and empathy wherever I go."
Despite having roots in North America, the player decided to play for the Philippines national team. Among the reasons for the choice, Bonta cited the family influence and the customs cultivated within the house itself.
"To have the honor of representing our flag, playing the sport that I love is something that I'm grateful for every day. We are a small country without a truly established infrastructure for women's football, but the things we have already achieved show that we are competitive, tough and with skill and preparation to fight at the global level," he says while reinforcing the importance of maintaining the Filipino culture.
Recently, Reina was called up to the Philippine women's national team and the commitment was the Southeast Asian Games, which is a kind of Olympics of the region. In total, there are 11 countries and more than 50 sports contested. The 2023 edition took place in Cambodia.
Despite the dream of "bringing home the gold medal," the No. 10 jersey team failed to make it past the group stages and the Philippines placed 5th in the overall standings of the tournament.
The defender's next destination with the national team is nothing less than the Women's World Cup, which takes place between July 20 and August 20 in New Zealand. And once again, the defender dreams big.
"It's always been a dream of mine to play in the World Cup and the Olympics as well. But first of all, I want to make my family proud," she said.
To the delight of the fans, for Santos the ambition is the same. "It would be a dream to win a Brazilian for Santos and a Paulista, also to win the Libertadores and the World Cup. These are things that I know the team is capable of achievements, which makes me motivated to work hard for the team and the fans every day," said the Alvinegro Praiano defender, who celebrated in Portuguese: "Up!"
esportes.r7.com/futebol/de-cineasta-premiada-a-sereia-da-vila-conheca-reina-bonta-esperanca-de-titulos-no-santos-18052023