Table of Contents
- Marta is one of the most talented women footballers the world has ever seen
- The Brazilian has won numerous trophies and individual awards in her playing career
- She is the leading outright top scorer, male or female, at the World Cup
Marta Vieira is undoubtedly the greatest female footballer of all time. Marta is an inspiration to many young female footballers worldwide. The Brazilian international plays for Orlando Pride in the National Women’s Soccer League.
Marta was born in Alagoas, Brazil on February 19, 1986. She has come a long way to achieving the success she now boasts. The 39-year-old has achievements that even male footballers like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have not achieved.
The Brazilian striker began her football career in the streets of Alagoas, her home town. Marta used to play using grocery bags as an improvised ball. She then joined a local boy’s team, CSA, where she regularly trained and played.
Marta Vieira. Photo/ CGTN.
Marta Vieira Club Career
Helena Pacheco, a Brazilian female coach, discovered Marta’s talent in 2000 after spending one year with CSA. Pacheco took Marta to Vasco Da Gama women’s team, where she began her career. She spent two seasons with the team scoring four goals in 16 matches.
In 2002, Marta was transferred to Santa Cruz, where she spent another two seasons. She scored 16 goals in 38 matches for Santa Cruz.
Marta travelled to Europe prior to the 2004 season and joined Umea IK in Sweden. She scored 22 league goals in his first season with Umea IK. She helped the Swedish club win the Damallsvenskan trophy.
The Brazilian started becoming the centre of attention in women’s football during her time with Umea IK. Her style of play left many football fans and pundits admiring her talent. She played with flair as she had exceptional skills on the ball. She also had quick feet, which enabled her to easily beat defenders.
Football fans dubbed Marta ‘Pele with Skirts’ due to her high speed and dribbling ability. Her style of play also made her receive comparisons to Brazilian football legends Ronaldinho and Romario.
Marta can play in any attacking position. The Brazilian star plays as a centre-forward, second striker, attacking midfielder and a winger. Apart from her football abilities, she is also a good leader on the pitch.
Marta won the FIFA World Player of the Year in January 2009 and left Umea IK in the same month. The Brazilian star left the Swedish club after winning six trophies. She joined the Women’s Professional Soccer team, Los Angeles, on a three-year contract. She later played for Santos, FC Gold Pride, Western New York Flash, Tyreso and Rusengard until 2017. The 39-uear-old then joined Orlando Pride in 2017 and has been playing for the National Women’s Soccer League team up to date.
International Career
Marta in action for Brazil. Photo/ BeSoccer.
She has been a Brazilian women’s national team star since 2002. She played a crucial role for Brazil at the 2007 FIFA World Cup, which they lost to Germany in the finals. Marta won the Golden Ball and the Golden Boot at the end of the tournament, where she scored seven goals.
Marta became the all-time top scorer of the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2015, scoring 14 goals in the four World Cups she has played. She became the first footballer, male or female, to score at five FIFA World Cup tournaments.
She is currently the leading outright goal scorer, male or female, at the World Cup tournament with 17 goals. She has 119 goals in 204 appearances for the Brazilian national team in all competitions.
Achievements
Marta has won numerous trophies with the Brazilian national team and the different clubs she has played for. She has more than 16 individual honors due to her amazing talent on the pitch.
Lionel Messi and Marta in 2011. Photo/ The New York Times.
Some of her major achievements are;
- FIFA World Player of the Year, a record six times; 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2018
- IFFHS World’s Best Woman Playmaker: 2012
- IFFHS World’s Best Woman Player of the Decade: 2011-2020
- FIFA Women’s World Cup all-time goal scorer: 17 goals
- IFFHS CONMEBOL Best Woman Player of the Decade: 2011-2022
Personal Life
Marta Vieira is a Catholic who does not always go to church. She has often stated that God is very important to her. The talented footballer is fluent in three languages; Swedish, Portuguese and English.
Marta is engaged to her former teammate at Orlando Pride, Carrie Lawrence. She was previously engaged to Toni Pressley who is also a female footballer.
