Marta, a striker for Brazil, said that it felt “surreal” to be training for a sixth Women’s World Cup and that the competition in Australia and New Zealand will be her last.
Marta will retire after the tournament in Australia and New Zealand.
The 37-year-old forward is the all-time top scorer for Brazil with 117 goals and made her first appearance at the World Cup in 2003. She has been victorious in the Copa America on three separate occasions, but she has not yet won the World Cup.
The greatest finish that Brazil has ever achieved in the world cup of soccer was coming in second place to Germany in 2007.
On Monday in Brasilia, she confirmed to the local media that this would be her last World Cup appearance. “Yes, it will be my last World Cup,” she said. “We need to be aware that there will come a moment when we will have to shift our focus to other things.
“I only need to express gratitude for the opportunity to having spent all those years competing for my country’s national team. To be able to compete in another World Cup, which will be my sixth overall, is a dream come true for me.
As Marta continues to make progress in her recovery from a knee injury, the team’s coach Pia Sundhage has indicated that she may open the competition on the bench rather than in the starting lineup. Marta has won the FIFA World Player of the Year award a record six times.
Marta had surgery to repair a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in December of 2017, and she rejoined the national team in February of this year after a layoff of eleven months.
She did not participate in the friendly matches against England and Germany in April, but she did come in as a substitute in the 74th minute of Sunday’s victory over Chile and help the team win 4-0.
On July 24, Brazil will begin their World Cup campaign against Panama. After that, they will play France and Jamaica in their group stage matches.