Marta has played the last World Cup game of her illustrious career, but leaves an indelible mark on the tournament’s history as the all-time leading goalscorer for either men or women.
The Brazilian icon burst onto the scene as a teenager at the 2003 World Cup and scored her 17th goal four years ago in 2019, having found the net at five separate tournaments – a feat only matched by Christine Sinclair and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Like Sinclair, Marta was playing at her sixth World Cup this summer. Also like Sinclair, she fell short of becoming the first player in history to score at six. Canada were knocked out at the group stage earlier this week in one of the shocks of the summer, with Brazil following on Wednesday.
The Brazilians, having started so well when they put four goals past Panama, went on to lose to France and couldn’t find a way past a brilliantly resilient Jamaica. Their four points was not enough to finish above Jamaica, who earned five, while France topped the group.
Marta’s World Cup career, which peaked in 2007 when Brazil reached the final after thrashing the United States in the semis, is now over.
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At 37, the six-time FIFA world player of the year won’t be returning to another.
“For me, that is the last World Cup,” she said after the final whistle, playing 81 minutes of the Jamaica stalemate as Brazil tried and failed to find the all-important goal to take them through.
“I am grateful to have had the opportunity to play in another World Cup. But for [my teammates], it’s not over,” she added in an impassioned statement.
Ahead of the Jamaica clash, Marta had reflected on her World Cup legacy.
“When I started there were no idols in women’s football,” she said. “How could there be if you didn’t show women’s football? How could I understand that I would reach the national team and become a reference point? 20 years ago, nobody knew who Marta was at my first World Cup. 20 years later, we have become a reference for many women all over the world, not only in football.”
As far as 2023 is concerned, questions will be asked of the first Brazil to fail to reach the knockout rounds since 1995, especially when they started so well and were drawn into a favourable group.
