April 26 – Brazil legend Marta, 38, will retire from international football this year, she confirmed.
For years, Marta, Brazil’s record goal scorer in both the men’s and women’s World Cup with 17 goals in 23 appearances across six editions of the tournament, has been a lodestar of her team with her skill set, experience and unique presence and this summer she can feature for the sixth time at the Olympic Games.
She didn’t play for her country at the W Gold Cup in February where Brazil lost in the final to the USA 1-0.
“If I go to the Olympics, I will enjoy every moment, because, regardless of whether I go to the Olympics or not, this is my last year with the national team,” Marta told CNN Brasil. “There will be no more Marta from 2025 in the national team as an athlete.”
“This is my last year, and I can already confirm it here. There is a moment when we have to understand that the time has come. I am very calm about this because I see with great optimism this development that we are having in relation to young athletes.”
In 2002, Marta debuted for Brazil at the U-20 World Cup and a year later she scored three times at the senior tournament in the United States. At the Athens Olympics in 2004 and Beijing 2008, she won silver, twice losing to the United States. Marta had to settle for the runners-up medal again at the 2007 Women’s World Cup when Germany proved to be too strong for Brazil in the final.
At last year’s Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, Brazil crashed out in the first round with manager Pia Sundhage in command and Marta saying that was her final World Cup.
She continues her club career at Orlando Pride in the United States.
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