Mimi Alidou: From Benfica to the Rose City

Marie-Yasmine "Mimi" Alidou has played on four continents. Quebec to Marseille to Sweden to Spain to Austria to Lisbon to Portland. That's not a career path. That's a passport stamp collection. But it was the two seasons at S.L. Benfica that changed everything. Thirty-three goals in 72 matches. Led the team in scoring in 2023. Helped Benfica reach the UEFA Women's Champions League quarterfinals, the first Portuguese club to get there. When the Thorns signed her, they weren't buying potential. They were buying a proven European striker at 30 who's playing the best soccer of her life.

The Road Through Europe

Alidou started at Universite du Quebec a Montreal, then went to Marseille. From there, she bounced through clubs in Sweden, Spain, and Austria. Each stop added something: tactical awareness in Scandinavia, technical sharpness in Iberia, physicality in Central Europe. By the time she landed at Benfica, she was the complete package. Two seasons in Lisbon. Thirty-three goals and 7 assists. She led the team in scoring in 2023 and helped Benfica make a historic Champions League quarterfinal run, the first Portuguese side to reach that stage. That's the kind of resume you can't manufacture.

Canada's Number

Nineteen caps for Canada. Five international goals, three of them in 2025 alone. At 30, she's hitting her stride internationally at a time when Canada's program is rebuilding. Alidou brings exactly what the team needs: a proven finisher who's been tested in the highest-pressure moments European club football can offer.

The Portland Chapter

Signed from Benfica, contract through 2026 with a club option for 2027. She started the March 13 opener against Washington. The Thorns needed an experienced striker alongside their young attacking core of Wilson, Moultrie, Turner, and Tordin. Alidou is that player, the veteran who's been everywhere and can steady the attack when the moment demands composure over chaos.

Back-to-Back Assists for Wilson

April 26, 2026. BMO Stadium. Alidou came on at the hour for Reilyn Turner. Thirty minutes later, in the fifth minute of stoppage time, she played the long ball that Sophia Wilson turned into the goal that sealed the 2-1 win at Angel City. First assist of the 2026 season. Wilson's first goal back from maternity leave.

Three days later, she did it again. April 29 vs San Diego Wave at Providence Park. Alidou set up Wilson's 64th-minute strike inside the box, the second goal in a 2-0 home win. Two assists in two consecutive matches, both for Wilson, the second one Wilson's first home goal since 2024. Portland moved to 5-1-1, 16 points, first in the NWSL. The veteran in the right place at the right time, twice in a row.