Mayssa Pessoa

Mayssa Raquel de Oliveira Pessoa, also known as Mayssa Pessoa (born 11 September 1984) is a Brazilian female handball goalkeeper for Norwegian club Sola HK and formerly the Brazilian national team.^[1]

Mayssa Pessoa
Mayssa in 2016
Personal information
Full name	Mayssa Raquel de Oliveira Pessoa
Born	(1984-09-11) 11 September 1984 (age 40) João Pessoa, Brazil
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Playing position	Goalkeeper
Club information
Current club	Sola HK
Number	84
Senior clubs
Years	Team
	Colégio Lourdinhas
2011–2012	Issy-Paris Hand
2012–2014	Dinamo Volgograd
2014–2016	CSM București
2016–2017	HC Vardar
2017–2021	Rostov-Don
2021–2022	Dunărea Brăila
2022–2024	HH Elite
2024–	Sola HK
National team 1
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
	Brazil	94	(0)
Medal record Women's handball World Championship 2013 Serbia Pan American Games 2015 Toronto Team Pan American Championship 2013 Dominican Republic Women's beach handball World Games 2005 Duisburg
1 National team caps and goals correct as of 13 August 2024

She was one of nearly two dozen LGBT Olympians at the London Games.^[2][3][4][5]

Achievements

• World Championship:
  • Winner: 2013^[6]
• Pan American Championship:
  • Winner: 2013
• World Games:
  • Winner: 2005
• EHF Champions League:
  • Winner: 2016
  • Finalist: 2017
• French Championship:
  • Silver Medalist: 2012
• Russian Super League:
  • Winner: 2013, 2014
• Romanian National League:
  • Winner: 2015, 2016
• Romanian Cup:
  • Finalist: 2015
• Norwegian League:
  • Silver: 2024/25

Awards and recognition

• All-Star Goalkeeper of the Pan American Championship: 2013^[6]
• MVP of the Bucharest Trophy: 2014^[7]
• Team of the Tournament Goalkeeper of the Bucharest Trophy: 2014,^[7] 2015

Personal life

Pessoa comes from a family of intellectuals. Nicknamed Taffarel, she resides in the same city with Hulk (João Pessoa). Her father is a university professor and a former athlete who competed in handball, volleyball, basketball, futsal and beach handball. Her mother is a lawyer, and one of her two sisters is a pediatrician.^[8]