The 23-year-old made her debut in the Women’s World Cup when Brazil thrashed Panama 4-0 in Adelaide, scoring three goals and setting up another.
According to FIFA, she is the only Brazilian, man or woman, to score a hat-trick in their World Cup debut.
Her idol growing up was Marta, largely regarded as the greatest female footballer of all time, is now competing in her sixth World Cup.
Borges made way for her idol 15 minutes before time, and the 37-year-old was impressed.
“Scoring three goals on a debut is not easy, but she was on a different plane,” said Marta, who has netted 115 times for Brazil.
“She scored a hat-trick and came up with an assist, so it was nearly four. I was honoured to come on for her.”
Borges, an attacking midfielder, had a difficult childhood, with her parents abandoning her at the age of ten to live with her grandmother as they relocated to Sao Paulo in search of a better life.
When she finally joined, her father Dino travelled the city looking for a club where she could showcase her skill, eventually settling on Centro Olimpico, where Borges got her first taste of competitive football.
She played for Sport Recife and Sao Paulo before joining Palmeiras, where she scored 34 goals in 83 games over three years.
Palmeiras won the Copa Libertadores in 2022 thanks to her goals in the semi-final and final, and she drew the attention of American team Racing Louisville, where she transferred in December.
Racing teammate Jess McDonald, who is in Australia as a commentator, claimed she recognized Borges right away.
“I’m super stoked for her. I couldn’t wait for the world to know who she truly is,” McDonald said on broadcaster Optus Sport.
“I’ll never forget her first training session for us at Racing Louisville. She scored a banger of a bicycle kick, and we said ‘Oh, the Brazilian is in the building’.
“She’s been on fire ever since pre-season and I’m so proud of her. You could tell from the moment she started crying after her first goal just how passionate she truly is about the game.”
Borges, regarded as one of the main talents of Brazil’s future generation of talent, confessed it had been a lot to take in after making her international debut in 2021.
“It’s very emotional for me to look back on everything I’ve done to get this far,” she said.
“There have been smiles, there have been tears, and I’ve thought about my family and where I’ve come from. It’s a dream for me to be here.”
(With inputs from AFP)
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