The 38-year-old Brazil legend has signed a two-year deal to keep her at the NWSL side through 2026
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
Marta extends with Pride through 2026Brazil star won NWSL Cup in 2024Club posted hilarious 'retirement' videoFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
The Orlando Pride and midfielder Marta have agreed on a new two-year contract, extending the Brazil star through the 2026 season on the heels of their 2024 NWSL Championship victory and NWSL Shield triumph.
After a brilliant 2024 season in which the 38-year-old was named a finalist for NWSL MVP and NWSL Midfielder of the Year – as well as being named to the 2024 NWSL Best XI First Team and the 2024 FIFPRO Women’s World 11 – she will return for ninth and 10th seasons with the Pride after an already stupendous eight-year run.
AdvertisementTHE BIGGER PICTURE
Since joining the club in 2017, the midfielder has made 128 appearances, scoring 42 goals and recording 19 assists – leading the club in both categories all-time. Internationally, Marta is a six-time World Player of the Year and the lone player in the men's or women's game to be named five times in a row. She holds the record for the most goals scored at the World Cup with 17 and was the sport's first player to score at five-different World Cup tournaments.
On Thursday, the club posted a video of the Brazilian in what began as an emotional farewell clip hinting at her her professional retirement – until the screen went black only for Marta herself to begin dancing, with fireworks in the background as she announced her extension.
WHAT THE PRIDE SAID
“Coming off the most successful season in our club’s history and, personally, one of the best of her professional career, re-signing Marta was a key business priority for us during this offseason,” Orlando Pride VP of sporting operations and sporting director Haley Carter said in a statement. “The impact she has made on our team, our locker room and our community is evident, of course through her incredible skill as a player, but even more so through her selfless and exemplary leadership style. We are thrilled to have secured her as a member of the Pride for the next two years and look forward to seeing what more we will accomplish during her tenure.”
Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR MARTA?
Still in offseason mode, the 2025 campaign begins in February.