PARIS (AP) — Marta fought back tears as she exited the Olympic stage one last time.
In her 185th appearance for Brazil, spanning six World Cups and six Olympics, the soccer great took one more shot at a major international title on Saturday.
Olympic gold eluded her again — but a third silver medal, she said, was something to celebrate.
“I am crying out of gratitude, happiness. I am not crying because we won silver. Look at how much we had to overcome to win this silver,” Marta said after the 1-0 loss to the United States in the women’s soccer final at Parc des Princes.
At the age of 38, Marta said ahead of the Paris Games that it would be her last major tournament with the national team. There was to be no perfect ending for a player who has been a flag-bearer for the women’s game.
It’s an all-too familiar experience for the six-time world player of the year. The U.S. has proved a frequent roadblock to her international ambitions.
Add Paris 2024 to Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008. On all three occasions Marta and Brazil were beaten to gold by the Americans.
And so three silvers are the pinnacle of her achievements in international soccer, along with a runner-up medal at the 2007 World Cup. For all her brilliance — scoring a record 119 goals for her country — she never managed to deliver a major international title.
But she did go mighty close in a tumultuous last campaign.
There were tears of anguish when she thought her Olympics had ended with a red card against Spain in the group phase. Tears of joy when watching on from the stands as Brazil eliminated host nation France in the quarterfinals and frustration again when an appeal to have her suspension reduced was overruled and she missed the semifinals as well.
There were emotional scenes again as she embraced Brazil coach Arthur Elias in the middle of the field at the end of Saturday’s final, and she was applauded as she exited the stage.
“This is a feeling of pride, a lot of pride. When I won silver in 2004 and 2008 I didn’t feel as proud,” she said. “We waited for 16 years to play an Olympic final again. For our history in previous competitions, let’s be honest, almost no one believed Brazil was going to be in the final, leaving here with a medal.”
Marta says it is time to hand over to the next generation and Brazilian soccer looks like it is in a healthy place after its run in France.
Her teammates did her proud in her absence to give her one last shot at gold and it was perhaps indicative of her waning impact that she was left out of the starting lineup against the U.S.
Gabi Portilho, Adriana and Ludmila have underlined Brazil’s attacking depth.
And that trio helped Brazil dominate the chances in the first half — but couldn’t replicate the cutting edge that had seen them blow away world champion Spain in the semifinals.
In the 61st it was Marta time. With Brazil trailing to Mallory Swanson’s goal minutes earlier, Elias sent for a national soccer icon.
Cheers echoed around Parc des Princes, and there were gasps of anticipation after her first touch and again when she stood over a free kick late on in the match.
It was Adriana, however, who went closest to an equalizer, when her header was saved by U.S. goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher in stoppage time.
As the fulltime whistle blew, Marta was quick to console teammate Angelina around the halfway line before sharing embraces with members of coaching staff.
She congratulated the U.S. players and joined her teammates in showing appreciation to the fans.
An Olympic journey that had started when she was just 18 in Athens, ended with another final, another medal. And even if it was not the one she was so desperate to get her hands on, she will cherish it for life.
“This medal represents the return of the pride we have in seeing Brazil’s women’s soccer being competitive, talented. It needs to be more valued,” she said.
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James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson
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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
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