Marta
Often called the greatest female footballer of all time, she has scored more World Cup goals than any man or woman.
Marta Vieira da Silva grew up in poverty in a small town in the state of Alagoas in northeastern Brazil. As a girl she played football with boys on the street, often against the resistance of adults who thought football was not for girls. At 14 she travelled to Rio de Janeiro to try out for Vasco da Gama.
At 18 she moved to Umeå in Sweden, where she won the UEFA Women’s Cup. She has since played in Sweden and the United States and is regarded by many as the best female footballer of all time. She was named FIFA World Player of the Year six times. With 17 goals she holds the record for the most goals at World Cups, among both men and women, and she was the first player to score at five World Cups.
Marta has used her fame to campaign for equal pay and recognition for women’s football. At the 2019 World Cup she called on young girls to keep fighting for the sport. She is open about her relationships with women and has been engaged to a fellow player.
She has won three Olympic silver medals with Brazil, most recently in 2024, and plays for the Orlando Pride in the United States.