Marta is one of the most, if not the most, recognized legends of women’s soccer. The Brazilian star is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time and a role model, but she is now saying goodbye to the Women’s World Cup after playing six tournaments.
Brazil’s 0-0 draw with Jamaica leaves the South American team out of the Round of 16 of the tournament. That means that the Orlando Pride player, who is also a silver medal winner in the Olympics, will end her career without a title at the big stage, having reached the final in 2007.
However, that doesn’t mean that Marta’s legacy has been tarnished. On the contrary, she always will be considered as one of the trailblazers in the sport, not only in her home country but for the whole world. So, how has Marta reacted to her goodbye? Check out her emotional words after being eliminated.
Marta: ‘I want people to continue the same enthusiasm for the World Cup’
After the match against Jamaica, in which she played from the start for the first time this World Cup, Marta confirmed this was his last game in the competition: “The World Cup ends for me; there will be no more World Cups for Marta. For me, this is the end of the road. It’s a difficult moment; it wasn’t what I dreamed of, not even in the worst of nightmares,” said the star, who was considered the best female footballer in the world six times throughout her entire career.
“The Brazilians had asked for a renewal, and now they have it. I believe I’m the only ‘old’ player here. Many of these talented girls are very young with a long path ahead. It’s just the beginning for them. I want people to continue with the same enthusiasm for the World Cup, to keep supporting it. Things don’t happen overnight,” added the player.
Marta arrived at the championship after recovering from a knee operation. It was also the first time she didn’t score a goal in a World Cup, after being the first person (woman or man) to score 17 goals in the WC. No one has more.
