Introduction

Popularly known as Marta, Marta Vieira da Silva is a distinguished Brazilian professional soccer player who competes as a forward for the Orlando Pride in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) and the Brazilian national team. Her skills and accomplishments have earned her the reputation of being the greatest female soccer player in history.

Renowned for her inventiveness, extraordinary dribbling abilities, and knack for scoring, Marta has set records by winning the FIFA World Player of the Year award six times, five of which were consecutive from 2006 to 2010. She also holds the record for the most goals scored in Women’s World Cup history, with a total of 17. Additionally, her precision in penalty taking is highly acclaimed.

In the 2007 Women’s World Cup, Marta led Brazil to the tournament’s final and was honored with the Golden Ball award for being the best player, as well as the Golden Boot award for being the top scorer.

Marta, widely considered the greatest female footballer of all time, is known for her speed, robustness, and agility. Her unique combination of flair, dexterity, and extraordinary ball control has drawn comparisons with football legends such as Ronaldinho, Romário, and even Pelé, who affectionately referred to her as “Pelé in a skirt”. Beyond her impeccable vision and technical skills, Marta is also admired for her swift dribbling.

She is a versatile forward, capable of performing in various offensive roles. She began her career as a traditional number 10, an offensive midfielder, but her abilities have seen her take on more forward roles, including those of a supporting forward, primary striker, and even as a winger. This positioning allows her to move into the center and make use of her stronger left foot for shooting at the goal.

Marta is not just renowned for her ability to create opportunities and enhance her teammates’ play as an advanced playmaker, but she is also a prodigious goal scorer known for her striking ability. She’s highly accurate with penalties and set-pieces. Beyond her footballing skills, Marta is distinguished for her leadership on the pitch.

As a symbol of inspiration to countless budding female footballers globally, Marta is an ardent advocate for gender equality. She stands as a beacon of motivation to both men and women. Aside from her impressive football skills, Marta’s intelligence and eloquence are also widely recognized. She speaks three languages fluently and holds a degree from the University of São Paulo. Moreover, she serves as a UNICEF ambassador and has actively campaigned for social justice.

A genuine icon of soccer, Marta is an inspiration to all, demonstrating to young girls worldwide that with determination and resolve, the sky’s the limit.

Professional Football Journey of Marta Vieira da Silva

Career Initiation

Marta Vieira da Silva was identified as a promising talent by Helena Pacheco, a renowned Brazilian women’s football coach, at the young age of 14. After showcasing her skills in the CSA junior team, she took the leap to professional football with Vasco da Gama in 2000. Two years later, she moved to Santa Cruz, a modest football club in Minas Gerais state, where she played for two seasons before joining the ranks of Umeå IK in Sweden.

Umeå IK

Era Marta joined Umeå IK ahead of the 2004 season. During this season, Umeå advanced to the UEFA Cup final, triumphing 8-0 against Frankfurt, with Marta contributing three goals in the two-leg encounter. Despite their impressive tally of 106 goals, 32 more than the Champions, Umeå had to settle for the second spot in the league, losing out to Djurgården by a solitary point. Marta netted 22 league goals and also scored in the cup final against Djurgården, but her side suffered a 2-1 defeat.

In the 2005 season, Marta Vieira da Silva maintained her stellar form, scoring 21 goals and guiding Umeå to a league title victory without a single loss. However, the team fell short again in the cup final, succumbing to a 3-1 defeat against Djurgården, who avenged their heavy 7-0 league defeat to Umeå weeks earlier.

The 2006 season saw Umeå retaining the league title without any loss, with Marta once again leading the scoring chart with 21 goals. Umeå dominated Norwegian side Kolbotn FK with an 11-1 win on aggregate in the UEFA Women’s Cup, where Marta scored a brace in both matches. Yet again, Marta and her team tasted defeat in the Swedish cup final, losing 3-2 to Linköpings FC.

In 2007, Umeå achieved a significant milestone by clinching both the league title, finishing nine points clear of Djurgården, and the Swedish Cup, edging past AIK 4-3, in a thrilling match where Marta netted a hat-trick, including the decisive winning goal three minutes before full time. In the league, Marta scored 25 goals, one less than top scorer Lotta Schelin. Their journey in the UEFA Women’s Cup ended in the final, losing 1-0 on aggregate to Arsenal.

In the 2008 season, Umeå and Marta Vieira da Silva secured yet another Swedish championship title. Post-season, rumors about Marta’s future career started to surface. In January 2009, on the day of the FIFA World Player of the Year Awards, Marta confirmed that she would be joining the American team, Los Angeles Sol, for the next three years. Marta also managed to have the Los Angeles team acquire Johanna Frisk from Umeå IK. Swedish TV4 sports presenter Patrick Ekwall speculated that Marta and Frisk were in a lesbian relationship, a claim both players categorically denied.

Marta Vieira da Silva journey and her exceptional football skills were highlighted in a 2005 Swedish television documentary titled “Marta – Pelé’s cousin.”

Los Angeles Sol

In January 2009, the same day she was recognized as the FIFA World Player of the Year, Marta announced her intention to play for the Los Angeles Sol, a team in the Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) league, on a contract spanning three years. This was ahead of the league’s maiden season. She expressed that it was critical for her to play where the best players in the world compete, which is what the WPS is attempting to achieve. She cited the league’s growing reputation as one of the world’s best as her reason for joining.

For the 2009 season, Marta emerged as the league’s leading scorer, netting ten goals and providing three assists. Her team, the Sol, won the regular season and advanced to the WPS Championship Final, but suffered a 1-0 defeat to Sky Blue FC.

Marta’s spell with Santos during Los Angeles Sol’s off-season

While on off-season from Los Angeles Sol, Marta penned a three-month loan deal with Santos, where she participated in both the Copa Libertadores and Copa do Brasil. Her pivotal role in these tournaments helped Santos claim victory in both. Remarkably, she scored once in the Libertadores final and twice in the Copa do Brasil final.

Marta Vieira da Silva’s stint with FC Gold Pride in the 2010 WPS Championship

In January 2010, when the Sol ended their operations, the rights to Marta and her fellow teammates were put up in the 2010 WPS Dispersal Draft. FC Gold Pride managed to secure Marta’s rights as their primary pick. She had an outstanding performance, featuring in all of the Pride’s 24 matches and netting 19 goals. This impressive feat earned her the WPS MVP and WPS Golden Boot for the second consecutive year.

Marta also participated in the WPS All-Star 2010 and was voted captain of one of the teams, a testament to her international popularity. Her superb skills guided Gold Pride to the regular-season championship, and her excellent performance in the WPS Championship against Philadelphia Independence, where she scored a goal and had two assists, earned her the MVP honors. When Gold Pride ceased operations on November 17, 2010, Marta became a free agent

Marta’s Comeback to Santos

On December 16, 2010, Marta was reintroduced by Santos. Initially, she was given a two-month contract with the potential for a yearly extension, but that did not materialize. The board of directors announced they were in the final stages of negotiating for the team to participate in the United States’ women’s football league in 2011. However, competition rules allowed the club to include only five Brazilian players, including Marta and four others.

Marta Vieira da Silva’s Journey with Western New York Flash

On January 25, 2011, Marta became part of her third WPS team in as many years, joining the new team Western New York Flash, who inherited the third year of her contract with Gold Pride. Marta’s contributions of two goals and four assists played a vital role in the team’s impressive 3-0-1 start to the 2011 season.

As a forward for Western New York Flash, Marta led her team to clinch the Regular Season Championship title. She scored her tenth goal of the season in a decisive 2-0 win against Atlanta Beat, contributing significantly towards her third consecutive PUMA Golden Boot award. The Brazilian soccer superstar prevailed over teammate Christine Sinclair in the tiebreaker due to her superior goals per game average.

Return to Tyreso FF

With the cancellation of the PS 2012 season, Marta decided to head back to Damallsvenskan in Sweden. On February 22, 2012, she inked a two-year contract with Tyreso FF. Remarkably, her hefty salary of roughly $400,000 per season was covered by external sponsors, not the club, as stated by the club’s owners. Tyresö clinched the Damallsvenskan title for the first time in the 2012 season, earning Marta her fifth league winner’s medal.

During the 2014 UEFA Women’s Champions League Final, Marta scored two goals, despite Tyresö’s 4-3 loss to Wolfsburg. Tyresö, facing financial turmoil in 2014, withdrew from the 2014 Damallsvenskan season, which erased all their results and made all their players free agents. The Stockholm County Administrative Board disclosed the players’ salaries, highlighting that Marta was the top earner at SEK 168,000 per month.

Amid the unfolding financial crisis at Tyresö, rumors linked Marta to a possible transfer to Avaldsnes IL. However, the Norwegian Toppserien club‘s chairman cautioned that she would need to accept a considerable salary reduction. Paris Saint-Germain Féminines were also reportedly interested in Marta and her Tyresö teammate, Caroline Seger.

Marta’s Journey with Rosengård

In July 2014, Marta penned a six-month deal with reigning champions FC Rosengård in Sweden. During her tenure with the Swedish club, she celebrated numerous victories, including the Damallsvenskan league titles in 2014 and 2015, the Svenska Cupen in 2016, and the Svenska Supercupen in both 2015 and 2016.

Tenure with Orlando Pride

Following Rosengård’s quarterfinal loss to Barcelona in the UEFA Women’s Champions League, Marta transitioned to Orlando Pride through a free transfer, after Rosengård agreed to terminate her contract. Her new agreement with Orlando spanned two years, with a third-year option. During her inaugural season with Orlando, Marta ranked second in the league in both goals and assists, earning her the MVP title voted by her teammates. The Pride concluded the season in third place, making their first-ever playoff appearance, where they were defeated in the semi-finals by Portland Thorns.

As the 2022 season commenced, Marta was appointed captain in the wake of Ashlyn Harris’s off-season exit. Unfortunately, she suffered an ACL tear in her left knee on March 26 during the second game of the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup and was listed on the club’s season-ending injury list post-surgery.

Marta Vieira da Silva’s International Career

On July 26, 2007, Marta, together with the Brazilian women’s team, triumphed over the US U-20 national team to secure the Pan American Games at Estádio do Maracanã, amidst a crowd of 68,000 spectators. The Brazilian fans hailed her as the female equivalent of the Brazilian football legend, Pelé, dubbing her “Pelé with skirts”. Pelé himself concurred with the comparison. Marta revealed that Pelé personally called to commend her on the victory and was thrilled to know that one of the most renowned players ever followed her team’s matches. Subsequently, her footprints were immortalized in cement at the stadium, making her the first woman to receive this honor.

Marta played a key role in the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup with Brazil, where the team breezed through the group stage, winning all three matches and Marta contributing four goals. In the quarter-final, Brazil triumphed 3-2 over Australia, with Marta scoring a goal from a penalty. In the semi-final, Marta’s double helped Brazil secure a 4-0 victory over the United States, with her second goal particularly noteworthy. However, in the final, Brazil suffered a 2-0 defeat against Germany. Marta had a crucial penalty saved during the second half, which could have levelled the match. She concluded the 2007 Women’s World Cup as the recipient of both the Golden Ball, awarded to the top individual player, and the ‘Golden Boot‘, given to the tournament’s top scorer, with her total of seven goals.

Marta also competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics, where she received a silver medal. Her personal face-off with United States goalkeeper Hope Solo in the final ended in a 1-0 defeat, marking Marta’s third consecutive second-place finish in major international tournaments.

Marta Vieira da Silva was a part of the Brazilian squad in the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup, where Brazil was knocked out by the United States in the quarter-finals. She achieved four goals and two assists in the tournament, tying her at the top of the all-time women’s World Cup goalscorer list with Birgit Prinz at 14 goals. This performance also won her the Silver Boot as the tournament’s second-highest goal scorer. Throughout the tournament, beginning with the match against Australia, Marta faced a significant backlash from local and opposing fans.

In her fourth World Cup in 2015, Marta set a record as the highest scorer in the history of the women’s tournament with a total of 15 goals after scoring her second goal in Brazil’s opener against South Korea. However, Brazil was defeated by Australia in the round-of-16.

During the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, Marta made history as the first player, regardless of gender, to score in five FIFA World Cup tournaments when she scored a penalty against Australia in Brazil’s second group game. In the following match, she scored another penalty, this time against Italy, to become the outright leading goal scorer in the World Cup with 17 goals. After Brazil’s elimination by host country France in the Round of 16, Marta delivered a heartfelt interview to TV cameras where she encouraged Brazilian girls to uphold the legacy of aging legends like herself, Formiga, and Cristiane. Her message to “value [women’s football] more” and to “cry at the beginning so you can smile at the end” went viral, with the video receiving tens of thousands of retweets on Twitter. During this time, Marta climbed into the top 10 most popular footballers in the global Wikipedia ranking.

On 21 July 2021, Marta scored twice in a 5-0 victory over China, becoming the first player to score in five consecutive Olympics.

Personal Life

Marta has three siblings named José, Valdir, and Angela, and her parents are Aldário and Tereza. Her father left their family when she was still an infant. On October 11, 2010, the United Nations appointed her as a goodwill ambassador. She can speak Portuguese, Swedish, and English fluently. Although she does not frequently attend church, she is a Catholic and professes that God holds significant importance in her life. In 2016, she was included in the BBC’s 100 Women list.

Marta became a Swedish citizen in March 2017, although this did not affect her eligibility to represent Brazil in football as she had already played for Brazil and she also maintained her Brazilian citizenship. In February 2021, she acquired a U.S. green card which granted her permanent residency and classified her as a domestic player for the purposes of the NWSL roster.

In January 2021, Marta announced her engagement to her Orlando Pride teammate, Toni Pressley, after several years of dating.

As I write this blog let me also give you a summary about Marta’s 2023 FIFA Woman’s World Cup happening in Australia and New Zealand.

Marta Vieira da Silva’s contribution is really important in soccer history in specific and sports history in general. Marta played in six World Cups, beginning in 2003, and her last one is the ongoing 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. During the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, she didn’t play the first two games but played later against Panama and France. Unfortunately, her team lost and was knocked out early. Still, playing in six World Cups is a big deal, and many people think it’s quite an accomplishment.

Hey friends thanks for reading this article. I am sure you must have found it interesting.

Have a great day!

pic credits:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marta_(footballer)#/media/File:Marta_Vieira_da_Silva_2013.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marta_(footballer)#/media/File:Marta_star.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marta_(footballer)#/media/File:Marta_at_2010_WPS_Championship_5.JPG

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marta_(footballer)#/media/File:Football_against_poverty_2014_-_Marta.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marta_(footballer)#/media/File:Football_against_poverty_2014_-Marta(2).jpg

Information sourced from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marta_(footballer)