No one showing Marta the money

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 10/06/2015 (4082 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

LIKE many skillful Brazilians, five-time world soccer player of the year Marta has travelled to pursue her career.

The list of accomplishments for the 29-year-old include being named the sport’s top female player from 2006 to 2010 and the highest scorer in the 2007 Word Cup, when Brazil finished second. She was league champion six times in Sweden, where she plays for Rosengaard, and twice in the U.S.

She’s arguably one of the greatest ever in the sport. What she isn’t, her agent says, is highly paid.

“It’s not close,” said her manager, Fabiano Farah, who used to represent Brazil men’s team star Ronaldo. Brazilian players on eastern European clubs make much more than Marta without making appearances for the Selecao, as the national team is known. “It’s a big gap from Marta to average players, who are not known. It’s incredible the lack of attention and the need for survival for these ladies.”

Farah wouldn’t disclose her income. According to the Swedish Tax Authority, Marta earned 1.58 million kronor (US$190,000) in Sweden in 2013. That’s about a week’s salary for Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo or Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, the last two men to win soccer player of the year. It’s unclear whether Marta’s disclosed income included her sponsorship deals.

Several of Brazil’s longtime players retired before this year’s Women’s World Cup, and Marta is looking to pass on some of her experience to help younger teammates realize what they’re in for at the tournament, which ends July 5 in Vancouver.

“It’s a war,” Marta, whose given name is Marta Vieira da Silva, said in an interview. “It’s very difficult when you enter a war: you live or you die.”

Her national coach, Oswaldo Fumeiro Alvarez, known as Vadao, says she is as important to his team as Barcelona’s Neymar is to the men’s squad.

Neymar moved to Barcelona in May 2013 for what the Spanish team said was 57 million euros (US$64 million). The 23-year-old helped Barcelona win the Champions League and Spanish cup and league this season.

Marta’s manager at Rosengaard said she’s added focus and drive to the team, once he convinced her to shoot more.

“When she came she was far too humble and she was trying hard to get into the group,” coach Markus Tilly said. “She would rather pass the ball than take a shot herself. She can provide to the team more by taking a few more shots and being a bit more egoistic. That shows what kind of person she is — she’s really humble with a big team spirit.”

Rosengaard hasn’t lost since her arrival, Tilly said, and her presence attracts more fans to the club, which sells about 1,000 tickets to games.

Marta may be the world’s best female footballer, but she’s not even the highest paid in the Swedish women’s league, Tilly said.

Most of Marta’s income comes from endorsement deals with Coca-Cola and Puma, Farah said. The United Nations made her a goodwill ambassador, using her fame and appeal to bring attention to development and women’s issues.

“Coke did their focus groups to really measure Marta’s appeal on a global scale and for the Brazilian market,” Farah said. “Her rejection is almost zero because men like Marta, to watch Marta play. Women have Marta’s story as something aspirational because if she as a women can do that. Why not those other women do other activities dominated by men.”

Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter

Mike McIntyre | On Sports

Thursdays

Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter.

Sign up for Mike McIntyre | On Sports

Sign Up

I consent to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies.

I consent to CASL agreement.

She was born and raised in a poor neighbourhood of a town in the Brazilian state of Alagoas, about 2,000 kilometres north of Rio de Janeiro. She moved away at 14 to pursue her career, which took her to Sweden three years later.

She occasionally returns, and likes seeing more young girls kicking soccer balls and enjoying the game that she’s pursued.

“I hope my individual victories and particularly the achievements with the team have helped women have the courage to do whatever they want to do in life,” she said.

— Bloomberg News