Marta — Six-Time FIFA World Player of the Year

How does an exceptional career become an example for others?

Some players change more than results. They also change what the next generation believes it can achieve.

This portrait of Marta tells of difficult beginnings, resistance to prejudice and an influence that extends beyond the pitch. It focuses on two questions at once: what makes this player exceptional, and what can her journey inspire in people still looking for their own place in football?

Marta is rightly known as the “Queen of Football.” No other female player maintained such a high level of performance for nearly two decades while collecting so many individual awards.

Marta Vieira da Silva had to overcome adversity from the very beginning. Her father left when she was just one year old. The future queen of Brazilian football also endured poverty, hunger, and prejudice from her own brothers, who disapproved of her love for the game.

When she entered professional football, many experts could not believe that a woman could play at Marta’s level. Others simply watched and admired one outstanding performance after another. More importantly, Marta became a role model for the next generation—an inspiration and proof that dreams can come true in a sport long dominated by men.

“Marta is the biggest name in women’s football. She won so that we could reach the level we are at today,” said Thais Monteiro, an attacking midfielder for Grota de Niterói.

Marta’s achievements have shaped the history of women’s football. She was named FIFA World Player of the Year six times. At the 2019 World Cup, she reached 17 World Cup goals, surpassing Miroslav Klose’s then record of 16. This description reflects the historical point in time covered by the portrait.

Marta’s influence extends far beyond the pitch. She is a UN ambassador and the first woman to have her footprints immortalized on the Maracanã’s Walk of Fame.