Part of the 3rd Grade East She Persisted  Series

Introduction

Have you seen Marta play? People thought she was weird for playing soccer because she was a girl. Her mom didn’t want her to play. She was small for a soccer player. Now she is known as the greatest female soccer player of all time.

Early Years

She was born on February 19, 1986. She is Swedish and Brazilian. Marta is 5 feet tall. A Brazilian female coach discovered her when she was 14 years old. Marta started her professional career in 2000. After two years she transferred to a soccer club in Santa Cruz before joining a team in Sweden.

Life as as Adult

In 24 games, she scored 19 goals. Marta is 36 years old. She played for 12 teams. She is often regarded as the greatest female soccer player of all time. She was given the nickname “Pele in skirts,” by the famous soccer player Pele. 

Accomplishments

Marta scored 4 goals in a single game. She was named FIFA world player six times for 5 years in a row. She scored 106 goals in a season. She has 2 world records. She won a silver medal in the 2006 and 2008 Olympic games. In August 2016, Marta was one of eight people to carry the Olympic Flag in the Olympic games in Rio, Brazil.  

Conclusion 

She inspired girls in Brazil to play soccer and girls all over the world. She believes women’s sports should have more money so they can train and develop their talents. She is a Goodwill Ambassador for UN Women and works to create opportunities for girls and women so they don’t have to struggle like she did. 

“I suffered a lot with discrimination and sexism but I’m fighting all of this with my story.”

-Marta