Marta doesn't dive

Marta is often regarded as the greatest female footballer of all time. She has been named FIFA World Player of the Year six times, five of them in consecutive years (2006 to 2010), with the latest award coming in 2018. She holds the record for most goals scored in Brazilian International Football, with 112 for her country. With 17 goals, she also holds the record for the most goals scored at FIFA Women’s World Cup tournaments. She is the first footballer of either gender to score at five World Cups, a feat matched by Christine Sinclair (Canada) in 2019.

As remarkable as her other accomplishments is the fact that she didn’t dive at all in the 2019 World Cup in France. She played 3 matches and was one of the few top ranked players who demonstrated such honourable behaviour on the field.

‍

‍

We don’t have diving statistics for Marta in matches outside the World Cup, as we do for Messi and other male players, but consistent behaviour during the World Cup is striking giving she's such an example for youth.

Other noteworthy examples of top female players refraining from diving during the 2019 World Cup were provided by Christine Sinclair (Canada), Caroline Seger (Sweden) and Sophie Schmidt (Canada). We applaud their honest behaviour as much as we do Marta’s.

Header photo by dpa picture alliance / Alamy Stock Photo