The United States women’s 39’s national football team and French club Lyon FC player Catarina
Macario was greatly impressed by Aspetar facilities and the professionalism of Aspetar staff
following a visit to the sports medicine hospital for a recent injury. Macario received
comprehensive medical treatment at Aspetar for an injury she sustained while playing in
Lyon FC’s final game of the season.
Endorsed by her teammates, Aspetar hospital was chosen as the right place for Macario’s
injury treatment, she says: “I have some teammates that have came here before me, and
they just always told me how amazing it was here – the facilities, the staff, and how
professional they were. So, when I got injured, I knew that I had to come here, and I knew
that I would get the best care. So, I’m very fortunate and happy to be here, to just be getting
the right treatment that I need.”
Of her experience, Macario says: “Honestly, everyone has just said that Aspetar is
amazing, and obviously I expected the best of the best, but I’d say that my expectations
have been surpassed just in the sense that it’;s not just the facilities, but it’s really the staff.
They’re re incredible, and I’m just thankful to be here.”
The U.S player praised Aspetar as a unique destination for treatment, adding: “I think it’s
unique in the sense that you can find everything here, like surgeons, pharmacy, like literally
everything. You have everything under one roof, and that’s very rare to find and it’;s also
very rare to find such professional staff that are always in communication, no matter what
department they’re from, and you really feel like you’re getting the best care no matter who
you’re seeing that day.”
She continued: “There’s never any type of miscommunication or anything like that.
Everyone knows exactly what you should be doing, and I feel like it’s not everywhere in the
world that you can find that.”
As a result of her injury, Macario missed the USWNT’s 2023 World Cup qualifying and
Olympic qualifying matches, and the start of the 2022-23 season, however, she has no doubt that with the right support system, patience, and hard work, she will soon be back
better than ever.
Long regarded as one of the Americas brightest hopes, 23-year-old Macario finished 9th of
the 20 nominees for the last season’s annual best women’s footballer award. Commenting
on this achievement, she said: “I’m very happy to have been recognised as a top ten
nominee, I guess for the Balloon d’or, especially because it was my first professional year,
and I hope that we can keep going up from here. First, I need to get healed, but I hope that
I can just keep getting better and better every single year and hopefully one day take the
big one.”
Catarina is preparing to be one of the stars of next year’;s Women’s World Cup, but before
that she is eagerly looking forward to the World Cup Qatar 2022, which is being held for the
first time in the Middle East, especially as she is being treated just a few meters from one of
the World Cup stadiums: “It’s been tremendous to see the country prepare for such a big
event. It looks beautiful, honestly, all the decorations and everything like that. So, I can’t
wait until everyone can see how great it’s going to be. I will be supporting the United States,
and my second team will be Brazil!”