Marta waves to the crowd after being presented with her silver medal during the women’s football medal cermony at the Paris 2024 Olympic at Parc des Princes in Paris, France. (Photo Credit: Ane Frosaker / SPP)
PARIS — Shortly after the United States women’s national team won the gold medal match at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Saturday Aug. 10, the medal-awarding ceremony took place. The winners of bronze, Germany; silver, Brazil, and gold, the US, lined up on a makeshift podium on one end of the field and received medals, one-by-one, as the announcers read out their names.
Players like Alexandra Popp from Germany and Mallory Swanson of the United States, who scored the game-winning goal to clinch the gold medal, received notable applause. But the crowd, made up almost evenly of U.S. and Brazil fans, roared loudest together for one player – Marta.
Marta Vieira da Silva, the 38-year-old Brazilian phenom who plans to retire from international soccer at the end of the year, has led a monumental career that will be impossible for any future player to replicate.
While she will be returning home to Brazil with a silver medal around her neck, an elusive gold will remain uncaptured during her 17-year career with the Seleção. But the cheers and whistles she received were overwhelming enough to convince anyone in the crowd she would be receiving an honorary gold medal herself.
No matter which team won or lost Saturday’s match, the game was always going to feel like somewhat of a tribute to Marta. She plans to retire from international soccer at the end of 2024, so Saturday’s match is likely to be her last appearance in a major game for the Seleção, if not her last appearance with the national team at all.
Additionally, the anticipation for the star’s possible last national team appearance was heightened by the question of whether or not she would appear at all. Coming off of a two-game suspension for a red card she incurred in the group stage match against Spain, Marta was not included in Saturday’s starting lineup. Fans were left wondering not only if she and her team could earn her a fairytale ending, but also if she would be given the chance to fight for gold at all.
Our partners at The Next deliver 24/7 women’s basketball coverage
Subscribers to The Equalizer can now save 50% on their subscription to our partner publication, The Next. Between the Locked On Women’s Basketball podcast and more than 100 reported stories per month, The Next has women’s basketball covered 24/7.
Marta ultimately made her appearance in the 61st minute, subbing in for teammate Ludmila. The U.S. had just broken open the scoring four minutes earlier to take the lead in what had really been a game dominated by Brazil — at least through the first half.
The Seleção controlled possession and outplayed the USWNT in the first 45, winning more 50-50 balls and taking more shots. A 17th-minute goal by the dangerous Ludmila — who somehow managed to dodge the formidable Naomi Girma — was ruled offside, but it sent an early warning to the USWNT that Brazil was executing its plan.
So when the crowd erupted for Marta’s entrance in the second half, it was a louder reiteration of the celebratory noise from the Brazil fans that could be heard throughout the entire match. The Brazilian fans didn’t quite outnumber the U.S. fans, but they sat together, sang together, and cheered together. They were also easier to identify – the bright green and yellow donned by fans of the Seleção stands out far more than the red, (mostly) white, and blue sported by U.S. fans.
But ultimately, neither the enthusiasm from the Brazilian fans nor the drive to send Marta home with a storybook ending was enough for the Seleção. The USWNT took home their fifth Olympic gold medal, and it was a well-deserved win.
The U.S. came back from playing down in the first half, and after Swanson’s 57th-minute goal, the energy of the game shifted. Brazil had a few more great chances, and required a few heroic moments from goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher.
Ultimately, however, Brazil capitulated to the USWNT’s offensive aggression that surged after Swanson’s goal. The last 30 minutes of the match featured a Brazil team that looked more frazzled than they did at any point in the first 60, and the U.S. came back from a slow start to earn the win.
For fans of the USWNT, the win was joyous. The team battled and beat a tough opponent while seeming to be on a path towards true resurgence under new head coach Emma Hayes after disappointing finishes in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the 2023 FIFA World Cup.
Save 24% for the 2024 Paris Olympics
In honor of the 2024 Paris Olympics, we are offering a discount on new annual subscriptions to The Equalizer. Use code Paris2024 at checkout or follow the link below.
Coupon valid through the closing ceremony on Aug. 11.
During the Olympic tournament Hayes made some predictable moves, like finally putting Trinity Rodman, Swanson, and Sophia Smith together up front. But she also made some risky ones, like benching USWNT stalwart Rose Lavelle in the gold medal match in exchange for newbie Korbin Albert. Ultimately, however, her decisions paid off, and the U.S. looks to be back on track to reclaim a top spot in the FIFA rankings (they currently sit at fifth).
Hayes was especially overcome with gratitude and awe after the game, telling reporters that she was “so emotional,” and “desperate to do well for this country,” to which she credits much of her coaching success.
But some fans of the USWNT, or the women’s game at large, may feel bittersweet about the results, even if their allegiance remains to the United States or Emma Hayes — because of Marta.
Throughout the years since their 2019 FIFA World Cup victory, while the USWNT hovered somewhere in the middle of the FIFA top ten table, international stars, like Aitana Bonmati of Spain and Christine Sinclair of Canada, were able to win major international tournaments which was not always possible for them when the USWNT was particularly dominant.
To be able to add a World Cup or Olympic victory to one’s resume is the most deserved reward for players like Bonmati and Sinclair, and many others, who constantly break records, stun fans, and change the women’s game for good.
Marta, one of the most impactful and memorable female footballers in history, will not be similarly awarded with the highest of honors. But, as she accepted her silver medal and heard the enormous cheers from the stands – from Brazil and U.S. fans alike – she may have felt the veneration and respect she has so thoroughly earned.
