In a world of many great footballers in both the men’s and women’s game, not many have been as iconic and trailblazing as Brazil’s Marta da Silva, who announced on Wednesday that she would not be participating in the FIFA Women’s World Cup any longer after A Seleçāo elimination from the group stage.
The 37-year-old, who came on in Brazil’s first game against Panama, joined two others—Canada’s Christine Sinclair and Nigeria’s Onome Ebi—as the three active international players to have played in six Women’s World Cups.
Marta featured in all three group stage games for the Canarinhas, including starting their final game against Jamaica, where they were held to a goalless draw by the Reggae Girlz. She led the team out as captain but failed to spark the magic everyone has become well accustomed to over the years, as Pia Sundhage’s ladies were knocked out of the competition.
“No more World Cup for Marta,” the Brazilian football Queen said, after the game. “I’m very grateful for the opportunity to have played in one more. I’m delighted to see everything that’s happening with women’s football in Brazil and around the world.
“It’s only the start for them, but for me it’s the end of the line.
“We just couldn’t connect with each other, get the ball on the deck and pass it around,” she said while speaking on the game.
“We didn’t have the patience to work the ball around. They played the game they wanted and we knew how they’d set up. We needed to stay patient.”
Marta, dubbed “Pele in skirts”, holds the record for the most goals in the FIFA World Cup in both the men’s and women’s games with 17 to her name, one more than German marksman Miroslav Klose.
The Orlando Pride forward is also one of three players to have scored at five World Cups, along with Sinclair and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo. Despite failing to find the back of the net in Australia and New Zealand to make her the first player in history to score in six finals, the Brazilian will be remembered in the Mundial as one of the greatest ever.
“It’s hard to talk at a time like this,” she said.
“Even in my worst nightmares I didn’t imagine it turning out this way. It’s just the start, though. The people of Brazil wanted renewal and they’re getting it.
Marta enjoyed her most prolific outing for Brazil at the 2007 edition of the World Cup in China, where she led them to a second-place finish and ended the tournament with both the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player and the Golden Boot after netting seven goals.
End of an Era!
Six-time FIFA World Player of the Year, Marta ???????? bows out of international women's football after Jamaica knocked Brazil out.
She couldn't add to her tally of 17 goals at the #FIFAWWC this year.#Afrosport #Brazil #Marta #JAMBRA #BeyondGreatness pic.twitter.com/Rcvxjx0Klm
— AfroSport (@AfroSportTV) August 2, 2023
After their game against Jamaica, the aging star reiterated the importance of passing on knowledge to the younger and emerging stars in the team. With tears in her eyes, she urged the Brazilian fans to continue to keep their faith in the side as they go through a transition period in the national side that has seen 11 players make their World Cup debut.
“These girls have a lot of talent and a big future ahead of them, she said with a teary eye. “This is only the start for them. It’s the end for me, but they’re going to carry on.”
Marta, who made her appearance at the World Cup as a 17-year-old teenager in 2003 in the United States, will be fondly remembered in the Mundial for many years for her dazzling displays and unreplicable star power as she bows out of the finals.
Although she announced that Australia and New Zealand 2023 will be her last World Cup, the six-time FIFA Player of the Year is not expected to retire anytime soon, with Brazil already qualifying for the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament in Paris 2024, where she will be hoping to go one better than 2004 and 2008 to claim her first gold medal in the Games.
