Michaela Workou is a 2006-born versatile attacking player, most frequently deployed on the left wing in a front three or as a left striker in a front two. Very much an associative forward, Workou stands out for her ball control and ability to disguise her intentions, manipulating defenders with sharp changes of direction and shoulder drops. Her reading of the game is near-elite, and she excels at receiving between the lines, then retaining and progressing the ball with feints and quick combinations. Born in Israel and of Ethiopian descent, she made her debut for the Israel senior national team at just 17 years old and quickly became a starter. Currently at SC Braga, she previously had a half-season stint at Levante – earning one substitute appearance in Liga F – and at Israeli powerhouse Kiryat Gat.
Workou is a short (around 1.62 m) and lean player. Despite being undersized, she is deceptively strong in shoulder-to-shoulder duels, using her arms expertly and showing no fear of getting tight to opponents to fight for recoveries. Her stint at Levante showed she still has some way to go to consistently hold her ground against taller, more muscular defenders in tier-one leagues. Her standout physical trait is her agility and ability to change direction seamlessly without losing balance. She displays excellent coordination in tight spaces, with a low centre of gravity that allows her to twist and turn effortlessly. Combined with her stop-start explosiveness and sharp deceleration, she has a strong base for dominating dynamic 1v1s. That said, she is not someone who will consistently beat her marker in isolated wide 1v1s – she can create separation, but usually to deliver a cross or pass rather than drive past her opponent. To truly beat defenders, she needs them committed and in more chaotic situations, such as central dribbles or teammates making runs ahead of the ball. While not dominant aerially, she shows cleverness through subtle nudges and good timing when contesting headers.
Workou has an outstanding first touch, often receiving with optimal body orientation to take a positive first touch. Her constant scanning – both off and on the ball – and mature decision-making allow her to disguise intentions, shift her body against defensive pressure, and select the right direction for her touches and passes. She is quite two-footed in her passing, with particular strength using different surfaces of her right foot to deliver disguised through balls, cutbacks, reverse passes, trivelas, and her signature backheels. Workou often acts as a facilitator and thrives when teammates move around her, enabling her to use her quick passing and awareness in pass-and-move combinations, often acting as the wall player. Her dribbling is creative and fluid, featuring stepovers, stop-starts, and Cruyff turns. When carrying the ball, she shows patience and composure to commit defenders before quickly changing direction to progress past them. At pace, she retains close control and shows the vision to combine after her dribble. She is comfortable both cutting inside on her stronger right foot or driving to the byline to cross with her left. She can, however, struggle to create separation when defenders delay and refuse to commit – in such cases, she often slows down and is forced to play backwards unless a teammate supports her for a quick one-two or with an overlapping run. Her decision-making is generally strong, though her final pass can occasionally be overhit. Despite being able to go both ways against full-backs, she is a clear pass-first creator – preferring to set up chances rather than finish them herself, limiting her goal-threat.
Without the ball, Workou works hard in all phases of play. In possession, she consistently finds pockets and drops to receive between the lines with excellent timing. Her awareness and sharply executed double movements allow her to find just enough space to receive and progress play. She can also make well-timed channel runs, though could benefit from improving her starting positions between CBs. Her movement to attack crosses is intelligent, often staying on the blindside and using double movements to deceive defenders. Defensively, she engages in the press with intent and intensity. Once committed, she can force turnovers high up the pitch and immediately trigger counter-attacks. Her pressing angles as a winger are sound, and she shows a strong understanding of pressing triggers. As mentioned earlier, despite her smaller frame she brings enough intensity to compete well in physical duels. She demonstrates real bravery going into 50/50s and fighting for loose balls.
Michaela Workou is an intelligent, associative attacker who thrives in spaces where she can combine, link play, and dictate tempo between lines. Naturally suited to roles that emphasize connectivity and fluidity, she can operate as a left winger, attacking midfielder, second striker, or even an advanced left-sided 8 in possession-based systems. Her exceptional awareness, disguise, decision-making, and body orientation allow her to receive under pressure and progress play. Built more on agility, coordination, and rhythm than raw pace, she excels in creating continuity and unlocking compact defenses through subtle movements, feints, and creative passing – a facilitator-type profile that fits well with teammates constantly on the move around her.
She still needs to get used to a more physical environment, but if she cannot get at least consistent appearances off the bench for Braga, a loan move to a sub-top team in an upper-tier-three league would be beneficial – Czechia, Austria, or even a mid-table Liga BPI team.
Target Scouting 