Marta, Queen of Soccer

This phrase, popularized in the 1970s after the Brazilian soccer team won three World Cups, used to be indisputable.

With women, it’s different. With little support, facing macho and misogynistic skepticism from society, they needed – and still need – space, support, and investment, but aren’t lacking in talent.

Brazil has and has had world-class players, like Miraildes Mota (Formiga – “the Ant”), Mariléa dos Santos (known as Michael Jackson), Cristiane, Maurine, Bárbara, Andressa, Tamires... and the greatest of them all, the greatest in the world: Marta, the queen.

To give you an idea of her value and prestige, Marta has already been named the best female player in the world six times. Argentina’s Lionel Messi only surpassed this feat in 2023 when he received his seventh award.

She is also the top scorer in World Cup history, with more goals than Germany’s Miroslav Klose (17 vs. 16). Marta has even scored more goals than Pelé for the Brazilian national team. She is the only female soccer player with her own spot on Maracanã’s walk of fame.

That’s no mean feat, but there is still more to be done. Not for her, but for Brazilian women’s soccer. And Marta is its biggest advocate and promoter. She has played for clubs in Brazil, Sweden, and the United States, where she plays for Orlando Pride.

Since then, she has alternated between American and Swedish clubs, with a brief five-month stint at Santos, where she won the Copa Libertadores and the Copa do Brasil in 2010. At every club she has played for, Marta has lifted trophies.

In 2018, she became a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN, focusing on women and girls in sport. Marta is an inspiration for young athletes worldwide. Her influence is not limited to soccer and often even transcends the sporting sphere.

With the Brazilian national team, Marta won the Pan-American Games (2003 and 2007), was an Olympic runner-up (2004 and 2008), and reached the 2007 World Cup final, where they were defeated by Germany.

Even so, she was the competition’s top scorer and scored the goal voted the best of the tournament.

At the 2023 World Cup, held in Australia and New Zealand, Marta was present but as a substitute. Brazil was eliminated early in the first round, and she was among those most in demand to give statements and explanations about the failure.

She said what she’s always said since the beginning of her career: that sport needs encouragement, space, and appreciation, with better wages and working conditions.