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Brazil legend Marta returns for Japan friendlies

Brazil legend Marta returns for Japan friendlies

France 2413-05-2025
Widely considered the greatest female footballer of all time, the number 10 last wore the Brazil jersey in the Olympic final, losing 1-0 to the United States on August 10 in Paris.
Marta said at the time that it was "probably" her last match for Brazil.
However coach Arthur Elias has included her in his 26-player squad for friendlies against Japan on May 30 and June 2 in Sao Paulo.
These two matches are part of the team's preparation for the Copa America in July.
"I spoke to her recently, and she has made herself available to help the Seleçao as long as she plays at the highest level, which she does," Elias said in a CBF statement, noting that Marta was crowned MLS champion with Orlando Pride last season.
"Her presence is also very important in inspiring young players, and she's also important off the pitch," the coach added.
A six-time FIFA world female player of the year, Marta holds the record for goals in both men's and women's World Cups, with 17, one more than Germany's Miroslav Klose.
However, it seems unlikely that she will participate in the next World Cup, which will be held in Brazil in 2027.
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