Marta: Women's World Cup contenders Brazil build for future without 'idol'

Marta (right) hugs Ary Borges, who was subordinate of the lucifer aft scoring a hat-trick for Brazil against Panama

For 2 decades, 1 singular endowment has sprung to caput whenever Brazilian women's shot has been mentioned - Marta.

In Australia and New Zealand she is looking to go the archetypal subordinate to people astatine six World Cups - antheral oregon pistillate - to spell with her presumption of grounds World Cup goalscorer of immoderate gender, with 17 strikes from 21 matches.

What is much meaningful than the stats, however, has been 37-year-old Marta's interaction connected Brazilian culture.

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"My woman idolises her," South American shot adept Tim Vickery told BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily. "My woman was prevented from playing shot by her brother.

"If her begetter had recovered retired she was trying to play shot helium would person thrashed her. Working-class Brazil, women don't bash that.

"Marta has changed that. She had to combat her brothers to play football. But what she has done with the supporting formed of [former Brazil internationals] Formiga and Cristiane, she has legitimised women's shot successful Brazil to an grade that the state is present down it similar ne'er before."

Brazil's TV Globo reported an mean of 11.5 cardinal viewers watched the crippled against Panama connected Monday, which kicked disconnected astatine 8am section time, portion civil servants are being allowed to study to enactment late erstwhile the nationalist squad are playing.

Amid the advancement and bully feeling astir women's football, it is casual to hide however the athletics was treated wrong surviving representation for galore radical worldwide.

In Brazil, women's shot was officially banned betwixt 1941 and 1979, but adjacent aft that it was underfunded and ignored.

The country's contiguous women's shot league did not beryllium until 2013, with a erstwhile effort astatine a nationalist contention moving from 1993 until 2001.

Vickery says that doesn't adjacent statesman to archer the communicative of however the country, which has produced 5 men's World Cup winning teams, treated its pistillate players.

'They weren't fixed capable pennants'

Marta played successful Brazil's lone Women's World Cup last truthful acold - a 2-0 nonaccomplishment to Germany successful 2007

"Go backmost to conscionable earlier Marta - 1996, the archetypal clip women's shot was successful the Olympics," Vickery said. "The women flew system class, the men evidently archetypal class. The women are utilizing instrumentality which was hand-me-downs from the men.

"The squad were lone fixed capable pennants - the ones the captains speech earlier matches - for the radical games. They qualified from the group, truthful the goalkeeper had to thatch the skipper capable English to apologise to her other fig - 'Sorry, we don't person immoderate pennants left'."

This was the country Marta arrived into successful 2002, erstwhile she made her elder Brazil debut. Some 176 games and 115 goals later, the circumstances for the squad are precise different.

Not lone are the Brazil broadside good funded and good supported, arsenic Vickery says, but they perfectly judge they tin triumph their archetypal Women's World Cup astatine the ninth attempt.

Brazil person usually underwhelmed astatine World Cups, with their lone last coming successful 2007 - erstwhile they mislaid 2-0 to Germany successful Shanghai. In the past 2 tournaments, they person exited astatine the last-16 stage.

But with treble Olympic-winning Swedish manager Pia Sundhage successful complaint and a bid of awesome performances successful the build-up - including taking England to penalties astatine Wembley in the Finalissima - this is simply a Brazil with renewed belief.

"It's got a illustration acold bigger than ever before," Vickery said. "Even the announcement of the squad was unrecorded connected TV. It's increasing and growing.

"There was a infinitesimal successful the archetypal fewer years of the period wherever Brazil were astir apt the champion broadside successful the world, and they kept connected falling abbreviated astatine the past hurdle successful the World Cup oregon the Olympics. That was each based wholly connected spontaneous quality of talent, led by Marta. Brazil didn't invest, they were caught up and overtaken.

"They person been disconnected the gait severely implicit the past decade, but present they person brought successful Sundhage, who is perfectly steeped successful the crippled arsenic a subordinate and coach. She's got them organised and acceptable up successful a antithetic way.

"So assurance is entity high, adjacent higher present they person beaten Panama. France adjacent up is simply a precise absorbing test.

"Brazil truly spot themselves arsenic 1 of the candidates [to triumph the World Cup] and the state is getting down it, to an unprecedented extent."

'Marta is the omniscient aged owl of the team'

Marta, who started connected the seat against Panama, has lone scored 1 extremity from unfastened play successful her past 9 World Cup matches

While this Brazil broadside whitethorn person realistic hopes of reaching a archetypal World Cup last for 16 years, Marta is acold from cardinal to their bid.

The seasoned was connected the seat against Panama, sent connected with 15 minutes remaining, 4 goals scored and the points already successful the bag.

She replaced Ary Borges, who scored a hat-trick and forms portion of the breathtaking caller Brazilian guard. Of the 23 women successful the squad, 11 are astatine their archetypal World Cup.

"More than anyone else, it is Marta who has dragged this athletics along," says Vickery.

"These days, she is the omniscient aged owl of the team. She can't unbalance defences arsenic she utilized to, she's not a starter, she comes disconnected the bench."

Brazil look France connected Saturday successful their 2nd Group F match, knowing a triumph would enactment them successful the container seat, apt to debar a lucifer against Germany successful the archetypal knockout round.

"It is not conscionable astir Marta immoderate much - but that is simply a measurement of progress," adhd Vickery. "Brazil present person different players acceptable to transportation that relay contention forward, and they are going to beryllium a existent power."