Marta Vieira da Silva, the legendary women’s football icon, delivered a touching speech at this year’s FIFA The Best awards in hopes of inspiring the next generation of women.
Upon taking the stage, the organizers presented the Brazilian player with the FIFA Special Award that recognized her accomplishments throughout the years.
Da Silva took the opportunity while receiving the award to address the audience with an inspiring speech in her native language of Portuguese. Where she shared her dreams and aspirations for the future generation of young women to come.
“As I am looking at this award, I want all women to also be able to see a promising future where it isn’t targeted just at football or sports but at any activity.”
The Brazilian star grew up in the small village of Alagoas, Brazil, where she spent her days playing on the streets, often surrounded by just boys. Despite the social and gender stereotypes, Marta’s passion for soccer led her to Swedish club Umeå IK in 2004, where she established herself as a goal scoring machine. The soccer star began to break records left and right, including winning six ballon d’ors and breaking the women’s world cup scoring record. Soon after, Da Silva became known as the best women’s soccer player in the world. Marta’s success didn’t go unnoticed, and her achievements on the field turned her into an idol for soccer fans around the world.
Jazmin Lopes, a soccer fan who grew up playing soccer from a young age, remembers Marta as a player that inspired her through her childhood.
“She’s one of those players you had to watch to understand her legacy. She had all that flare you see in male Brazilian soccer players and that made her different back then.”
That flare was Marta’s Jogo Bonito, a style of football that involves stylish plays and an attacking mentality. It was that unique playing style that set Marta apart from other players and made people like Katheryn Pearson an avid women’s soccer fan begging to follow her career.
“She was my first idol who was not American. Now there’s soccer stars for women’s soccer in every country. Everyone knows Sam Kerr and Alexia, and all these outside players, but back then she was one of the few one who you ever heard about outside the USWNT.”
Marta’s inspiring journey from a modest background to becoming a soccer star gave hope to athletes and women who admired her.
While there’s no denying Marta’s impeccable career as a player, the Brazilians legacy has transcended borders far beyond a simple sport. She dedicated a huge portion of her career to advocating for equality and women’s empowerment. Something she brought up as part of her speech at the award ceremony.
“What we’re striving for every day is to try to make the world a better place for everyone, with no exceptions.”
Her words echoed with the audience filled with fellow soccer players, including new soccer idol Jenni Hermoso, who Da Silva stopped to recognize in her speech, thanking her for the work Hermoso is doing for equality today.
“They will thank a Jenni with whom I had the pleasure of playing with in 2013, who progressed so much and is doing so much on and off the pitch. She is a citizen of the world.”
Hermoso was recently involved in a sexual assault allegation case against Spain’s Federation president Luis Rubiales. After he kissed her without her consent after Spain’s victory at the women’s world cup. While there was visual evidence of the assault, members of the federation and dozens online accused Hermoso of false feminism.
Resonating the need for players to use their voices to call for empowerment on and off the field. While the fight for equality continues, Da Saliva has served as a pioneer for players like Hermoso to continue fighting and standing up for their rights.
To round off her speech, Da Silva alluded to the possibility of taking part in the Olympics Games this summer.
“Who knows, maybe I’ll play in one more Olympics.”
We hope to see her participate one more time and witness her Jogo Bonito, which has been a staple of her career for years.
While the retirement of the now 37-year-old legend is upon us, she leaves behind the steppingstones for future generations of women. Her words not only celebrated her achievements but also served as a rallying cry for gender equality and empowerment in the world of soccer.
To watch Marta’s speech at this year’s FIFA The Best award click the link:
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