The greatest player in women’s soccer has yet to win a major international title. Will this change when Selecao faces the USWNT in the Paris 2024 final?
In 2004, women’s soccer was not as advanced as it is today. Media coverage was sparse, broadcasting opportunities were limited, and athletes had few chances to be full-time professionals. Scouting opponents was challenging, yet when Australia prepared to face Brazil at the Olympic Games, the Matildas’ staff were well aware of the significant threat posed by an 18-year-old named Marta.
Typically, the team did not focus on individual players before a match. “Why were we actually doing video on her and analyzing her game specifically? That was a bit unusual,” recalls Sacha Wainwright, a former Australian defender. “We usually didn’t single out individual players like that, except maybe a few Americans and then Marta. At that time, she had maybe 10 or 15 international caps.”
The reason for this focus became evident quickly. Just 34 minutes into the match, Marta cut in from the right and scored with her lethal left foot, exactly as the Australian staff had feared. “We were trying to counter her throughout the game, but it didn’t work,” Wainwright says with a laugh.
With her extraordinary talent, Marta has made many opponents’ attempts ineffective during the previous 20 years, and very few can dispute her standing as the greatest player in women’s basketball history. She now stands 38 years old and has the opportunity to win her first major international title on her last try when Brazil plays the US women’s national team in the Olympic gold medal match on Saturday. Will it be the ideal farewell for this game’s emblem?
In Australia’s pre-match meeting in 2004, some players may have been surprised by the intense focus on the unpredictable teenager, but Selin Kuralay understood why it was important. Two years earlier, she had been part of the Australian squad in FIFA’s inaugural women’s youth tournament, the Under-19 Women’s Championship, where Brazil was Australia’s opponent in the quarter-finals. It was there that she first encountered Marta.
“She was clearly the standout player of that tournament. It was her first chance to show the world that her skills were far superior to everyone else’s,” Kuralay, who scored in the eventual 4-3 loss to Brazil, recalls with a laugh. “We were taking pictures with her, which any coach dislikes—players mingling with the opposition. I just remember being in awe of her technical skill, her style of play, and how exceptional she was. It’s rare to come across a player where you think, ‘Wow, they are truly that good!'”
Over the ensuing two years, that reputation would be further strengthened. The first step in that direction was taken in 2003, when Marta, then 17 years old, made her debut on the biggest sporting stage by showcasing her talent during the World Cup.
She gained possession of the ball approximately thirty yards away in the group stages against Norway, danced past four opponents, and set herself up for Maycon before she pounced on the rebound of her teammate’s stopped shot to put Brazil up 3-1 over the defending Olympic champion. It was one of her three goals in a competition that saw eventual finalists Sweden defeat Brazil in the quarterfinals.
A few months later, Marta reached another major milestone in her burgeoning career by joining the Swedish club Umeå, known as the “Galacticos of women’s football” at the time. During the 2000s and early 2010s, the Damallsvenskan, Sweden’s top league, was financially robust and its teams excelled in European competitions. Marta helped Umeå secure the UEFA Women’s Cup, now known as the Champions League, in her debut season.
“Andree Jeglertz, the club’s head coach at that time, shared with GOAL, “I was well aware of her talent. Our club director, Roland Arnqvist, was known for achieving what others deemed impossible. This challenge of bringing Marta to Sweden was something he embraced wholeheartedly and succeeded in. They arrived in Umeå amid half a meter of snow—it was quite an event.
“You could immediately see her technique and how she handled situations on the field. However, as a coach, it was also frustrating because she didn’t always follow instructions precisely. She tackled situations in her own unique way, which sometimes left us thinking, ‘How do we get her to adapt to our style?’ But I learned from that experience that not every player needs to fit a specific mold. It’s the ones who break the pattern that ultimately win games and trophies.”
Marta’s impact was also evident at the 2004 Olympic Games, a tournament where her former Brazil teammate Rosana felt she truly made her mark. “After the first game against Australia, everyone was talking about her. She really showed her exceptional talent,” Rosana told GOAL.
Wainwright, the left-back for Australia during that match, recalled, “There was an aura around her, even though it was her first Olympics. Whenever she came near, it was crucial to stay focused and keep her out wide, preventing her from cutting in. She was incredibly dangerous. Her presence was unforgettable, and seeing how she developed into a major player was remarkable. As a senior player at the time, I felt it was a real test of our skills to face someone of her caliber.”
Despite Brazil not being considered a top contender for gold going into the tournament, they came very close. In the final against the United States, Brazil felt hard done by when a significant penalty appeal was ignored during extra time, before Abby Wambach scored the decisive goal. “Even some Americans admitted afterward that they thought we deserved the gold based on our performance, enthusiasm, and determination,” Rosana reflected.