The 23-year-old made her Women’s World Cup debut when Brazil thrashed Panama 4-0 in Adelaide, scoring three goals and assisting another.
According to FIFA, she is the only Brazilian, male or female, to score a hat-trick in her World Cup debut.
Her idol as a child was Marta, widely regarded as the greatest soccer player of all time, now competing in her sixth World Cup.
Borges made way for his idol 15 minutes before the end and the 37-year-old was impressed.
“Scoring three goals in a debut is not easy, but she was on another level,” said Marta, who has scored 115 goals for Brazil.
“She scored a hat-trick and had an assist, so it was almost four. It was an honor for me to come on for her.”
Borges, an attacking midfielder, had a difficult childhood, having been abandoned by her parents at the age of ten to live with her grandmother when they moved to Sao Paulo in search of a better life.
When he finally joined, his father Dino traveled the city looking for a club where he could demonstrate his skill, eventually settling in at the Centro Olímpico, where Borges had his first taste of competitive soccer.
He played for Sport Recife and Sao Paulo before joining palmeiraswhere he scored 34 goals in 83 games over three years.
Palmeiras won the Copa Libertadores in 2022 thanks to his goals in the semifinal and final, drawing the attention of American team Racing Louisville, where he transferred in December.
racing partner jess mcdonaldwho is in Australia as a commentator, assured that he recognized Borges immediately.
“I’m very excited for her. I couldn’t wait for the world to find out who she really is,” McDonald said on broadcaster Optus Sport.
“I’ll never forget her first practice session for us at Racing Louisville. She scored a great bike kick and we were like ‘Oh, the Brazilian is in the building.’
“She’s been on fire since pre-season and I’m so proud of her. From the moment she started crying after her first goal, you could tell how passionate she really is about the game.”
Borges, regarded as one of the leading talents of Brazil’s future generation of talent, confessed that it had been a lot to take in after making his international debut in 2021.
“It’s very emotional for me to remember everything I’ve done to get this far,” he said.
“There have been smiles, there have been tears and I have thought about my family and where I come from. It is a dream for me to be here.”
(With contributions from AFP)