Marta returns from international retirement with Brazil call up
The 39-year-old will join fellow NWSL stars, current and former, like Debinha, Kerolin, Lorena, Angelina, and Tarciane as the Seleçao take on Japan and Jamaica, twice each, later this month and in early June for friendlies in Brazil.
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Marta had announced her intention to call time on one of the most iconic international careers in the history of the women's game back in April 2024.
The six-time world player of the year won a third Olympic silver medal in what was expected to be her final international game in Paris last summer but will pull on the famous canary-yellow jersey once again with the opportunity for four more matches at least.
What a difference a year makes
It's been just over 365 days since the five-time Olympian and Women's World Cup all-time leading goal-scorer announced that her international career was coming to an end, effective at the end of 2024. But even at the Paris Olympics last summer, Marta shone, and her dramatic red card against Spain in the group stage catalyzed and further united the Seleção in their mission to earn Marta one more game. They were successful in that mission, despite falling short of Olympic gold in their 1-0 loss to the U.S. at the Parc des Princes.
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And honestly, who could begrudge Marta for what happened next? Her club team, the Orlando Pride, were already enjoying an unbeaten season before the Olympic break, but she proved vital to their eventual National Women's Soccer League Shield and championship title, scoring 11 goals, the most of any midfielder in the league last season, and she's already scored three this year.
Marta has spoken about how playing with younger stars like Pride striker and Zambian national Barbra Banda has kept her young, and it's hard to imagine her not deeply enjoying the rise of Brazilian players in the NWSL and leagues around the world. We're still too far out from Brazil 2027 to glean anything substantive from this call up in that regard, and I'm sure we're all going to remain hinged and rational, but that's the thing about hope, isn't it?
It's one thing to resist the bittersweet sidelines of retirement; it's another to vie for ceremonial inclusion, but Marta has shifted gears since her announcement and the call up is deserved.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
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