Rebel Girls Champions: 25 Tales of Unstoppable Athletes by Rebel Girls

Author:Rebel Girls [Girls, Rebel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Juvenile Nonfiction, Biography & Autobiography, women, Sports & Recreation, General, Girls & Women
ISBN: 9781953424099
Google: kBEeEAAAQBAJ
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Published: 2021-10-12T23:20:06.131953+00:00

BORN JULY 7, 1972

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

“I WANT TO PROVE ONCE AGAIN, TO EVERY LITTLE GIRL OR BOY THAT HAS GOALS AND WORKS HARD, THAT THEY CAN DO AND ACHIEVE ANYTHING. ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING.”

—LISA LESLIE

ILLUSTRATION BY KIM HOLT

MARTA VIEIRA DA SILVA

SOCCER PLAYER

The Queen of Football (or soccer, as it is known in the US) came from humble beginnings. Growing up in a small town, Marta was fast, clever—and often overlooked. Why don’t you play with dolls like other girls? her brothers asked. But she didn’t want to play with dolls. She wanted to run, dribble, and shoot! She wanted to kick, headbutt, and score goals!

When she didn’t have a soccer ball, she used what she could find: old deflated balls or crumpled-up rags, paper, and plastic bags. Hunger, lack of running shoes, and grumpy older brothers did not slow Marta down.

At 14 years old, she embarked on a legendary journey. First stop: Rio de Janeiro. It took her three days on a bus to get there. And the huge bustling city was so different from her tiny rural town, she might as well have flown to Mars!

Marta laced up her sneakers and tried out for a professional soccer team. The coaches and the other players didn’t know who she was. But after that day, they’d never forget. With laser focus and swift feet, she danced the ball past her opponents and slammed it into the goal again and again.

She got the job.

Later, she took her talents to Sweden and the United States, and of course, back home to Brazil. Playing in five World Cups, she scored more goals than any other player. She was even named Player of the Year six times!

Marta has scored more international goals than any other Brazilian player, male or female. But the Queen of Football knows her influence is more important than the goals she scores. It is in her message to girls everywhere: “Believe in yourself and trust yourself.”

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