Fatima Moreira de Melo (born 4 July 1978) is a former Dutch field hockey player and professional poker player of Portuguese descent. She has played 191[1] international matches for the Dutch national team, scoring 30 goals. De Melo's debut match with the senior team was on 21 October 1997 against Germany, which ended in a 2–1 victory for the Netherlands. She played as a striker. In the Dutch national competition she has played for Tempo '34, HGC and HC Rotterdam. De Melo was part of the Dutch squad that became World Champion at the 2006 Women's Hockey World Cup and which won the 2007 Champions Trophy. In December 2006, she became Rotterdam Sportswoman of the Year and became the new face of the Rabobank in their Dutch TV advertisements.
 De Melo at the World Poker Tour in 2015. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
4 July 1978 Rotterdam | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Midfield/Backward | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1999- -Present |
HGC HC Rotterdam | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1997-2011 | Netherlands | 191 (30) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last updated on: after 2007 Champions Trophy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, she won an Olympic gold medal with the Dutch national team beating China in the final 2–0.
Besides playing field hockey, de Melo also studied at the Erasmus University Rotterdam where she obtained an LL.M. degree in Criminal law in 2006.[2][3] She furthermore has presented TV programs for both local and national TV stations. She also has a career as a singer. She performed the theme song for the International Hockey Federation's International Year of the Youth at the closing of the 2001 Men's World Cup Hockey Qualifier in Edinburgh. De Melo's father is a Portuguese diplomat stationed in the Netherlands. Her boyfriend is pro-tennis player Raemon Sluiter.
De Melo belonged to the Team PokerStars: Sportstars,[4] and one could find her playing tournaments behind the nickname FatimaDeMelo on the PokerStars online poker card room. She left her role as Sporting Icon Pro in early 2020.[5]
References
edit- ^ "International tournament history Fatima Moreira de Melo". KNHB.nl (in Dutch). Royal Dutch Hockey Association. Archived from the original on 2007-10-08. Retrieved 2006-06-10.
- ^ Fatima Moreira de Melo: Success wherever she goes - website of The Hockey Paper
- ^ Fatima Moreira de Melo: "Durf je eigen pad te volgen" - website of the Erasmus University Rotterdam
- ^ "Fatima Moreira de Melo". PokerStars.com.
- ^ "Fatima Moreira de Melo Parts Ways with PokerStars". pokertube.com/.
External links
edit- Fatima Moreira de Melo at the International Hockey Federation
- Fatima Moreira de Melo at Olympics.com
- Fatima Moreira de Melo at Olympedia
- Official site for her music career
- Fatima Moreira de Melo at Olympics at Sports-Reference.com (archived)
