In a record six different years (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2018), Marta Vieira da Silva, better known as Marta, was chosen as the best female soccer player in the world. She played 175 times for the Brazilian women’s soccer team, scoring a total of 116 goals. The 38-year-old football legend, who plays football as a striker, announced before last year’s World Cup that it would be his last World Cup (the Brazilians ended up saying goodbye after the group stage), and now he has also decided to quit the national team for good at the end of this year.
Photo: AFP / AFP/OLIVIER MORIN
Marta confirmed the news in an interview with CNN Esportes S/A, which will be broadcast in its entirety only on Sunday, but this announcement was already made public on Thursday. The Brazilian striker said he was happy with his decision because he believes his country’s women’s national team has a promising future, given the many young talents.
“This is my last year, I can confirm that. There was a moment when I had to realize that the time had come. I am very calm about this, because I see the development of young footballers with great optimism.”
Marta resigned from the national team regardless of Olympic participation
Marta has participated in five Olympics during her career, of which she won a silver medal in the pentathlon games in 2004 and 2008. It is not yet known whether she will be there in Paris as part of the Brazilian team, which is in a group with the Spanish, Japanese and Nigerian women’s national teams, but she emphasized that her decision does not depend on that.
“If I can be there at the Olympics, I will enjoy every moment of it, but
regardless of whether I go to the Olympics or not, this is my last year in the national team. From 2025, Marta will no longer be in the national team.
Marta, who received a special FIFA award in January this year, has been in the Brazilian national team since 2002, with which, in addition to two Olympic silver medals, she also finished second in a World Championship and won the South American Copa América three times. As for his club career, he has been playing for Orlando Pride in Florida since 2017, no information about his future there was revealed from the interview excerpt that became public.
