Brazil’s Marta has been selected for her sixth FIFA Women’s World Cup. FIFA looks at her background in the competition and what she could achieve at Australia & New Zealand 2023.
‘The Queen of Football’ is set for the big stage once again. Selected by coach Pia Sundhage, Marta will go to her sixth FIFA Women’s World Cup™ in Australia and New Zealand.
Alongside Cristiane and Formiga, Marta also symbolises the legacy of a trio who stamped their authority on an era of Brazilian women’s football. For the first time since the famous triumvirate came together, Marta will be its sole representative at the global finals.
Formiga retired from international football in 2021, aged 43, after accumulating 266 caps. At 38, Cristiane is still playing and shining brightly in the Brasileirao for Santos, but she was not summoned by Sundhage, who is gradually injecting new blood into the squad.
The start
Marta’s Women’s World Cup history began 20 years ago. ‘A Rainha’ (The Queen) was just 17 when she was chosen for USA 2003. She went on to shine on American soil, scoring three goals for the Seleção, who lost to Sweden in the quarter-finals.
Four years later, Formiga, Marta and Cristiane almost fired the South Americans to the trophy. And though they ultimately had to make do with the runners-up spot in China PR, nobody shone brighter there than Marta, who netted seven goals, ending the tournament with the adidas Golden Boot and adidas Golden Ball.
Cristiane was not far behind her, scoring five times, while Formiga hit the target once, paving the way for a crucial victory against Australia in the quarter-finals. That was the best Women’s World Cup for the trio, who also picked up the silver medal at the Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 Olympics.
History in France
Since making the final in 2007, Brazil have not won a single knockout match at the Women’s World Cup. This has not stopped the trio from making history in the competition though. In 2019, in France, Marta, Cristiane and Formiga each set different records.
In the opening match, Cristiane scored a hat-trick against Jamaica to become the oldest player to do so at a men or women’s global finals. The record had previously been held by Cristiano Ronaldo. Formiga, in turn, became the only footballer to take part in seven World Cups. She has also taken part in seven Olympic Games.
Marta’s record came in the third group-stage match. By netting against Italy, she took her overall tally to 17 to become the highest goalscorer in the history of men’s or women’s World Cup. The strike saw her overtake Miroslav Klose, who had held the record since 2014.
Outranking Cristiano a target
In scoring for Portugal at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, Cristiano Ronaldo became the first man to find the net at five different World Cups. In the women’s game, however, such a feat had previously been achieved by Marta and Canada’s Christine Sinclair. At Australia & New Zealand 2023, both players will have the chance to take the record outright.
Source: FIFA.com
