Marta: A Dribble With a Decision Behind It

Marta Vieira da Silva is a Brazilian forward whose career has included club football in Sweden and the United States, alongside a long international career with Brazil. She won six world player awards between 2006 and 2018 and scored 17 goals across Women’s World Cup tournaments. Those achievements explain her place in football history, but her play is also worth watching one decision at a time.

What makes a dribble useful?

Beating an opponent is exciting. The next action determines what the attack gains from it. Has the dribble opened a shooting angle? Has another defender stepped across, leaving a teammate free? Or has the attacker reached a crowded area with no easy way out?

When watching Marta, use those questions to follow the whole move. Pay attention to changes of pace and direction, but also to when she releases the ball. A pass can be the most effective ending to an individual run.

Creativity has more than one speed

A defender who is moving backward has a different problem from one standing still. An attacker can accelerate at the retreating player or pause long enough to make that player commit a foot. Neither choice works every time. The skill is reading which option is available in that moment.

That makes an extended sequence more revealing than a single freeze-frame. Follow the defender’s reaction as well as the attacker’s feet. The space that matters might open several yards away from the ball.

A career worth exploring

Marta’s record connects several generations of the women’s game. It is a useful starting point for discovering players and teams beyond the matches already familiar to you. The career dates and award record are collected in her biographical reference.

For a different kind of attacking influence, read about Khadija Shaw’s movement and finishing. Our Player Profiles collection follows both the spectacular actions and the decisions behind them.