Soccer Game Changers #6
Leveling The Playing Field
Back in 2017, when tennis star Andy Murray was told that Sam Querrey was the “first US player” to make the semi-finals of Wimbledon, he interjected with one word “male”. His point being that Serena Williams had already reached the same round just one day earlier. It was a simple riposte but one that served to remind people that men’s and women’s achievements are not treated equally, even when they are quite literally a matter of fact.
The encounter acts as a useful backdrop to this, the latest installment in a series that heroes the most important soccer boots. Its focal point being an athlete who, like Serena Williams, finds her achievements restricted to her gender.
Brazil’s superstar forward, Marta, holds the record for most goals scored at the World Cup—with 17 — the latest of which came at this year’s tournament. Yet, if an average fan was asked “which Brazilian has scored the most World Cup goals?”, such is the focus on the men’s game it is likely that almost everyone would respond with “Ronaldo [Luís Nazário de Lima]”.
The essence of which is not lost on Marta herself, who this year declined a branded cleat endorsement, claiming that the fee she was offered was nowhere near the size that a male counterpart might expect. Instead, she chose footwear emblazoned with two stripes that symbolize equality.
When she finally broke the record — with the cameras trained — she took the opportunity to point towards the ‘logo’, to highlight the cause. (The move was as a startling juxtaposition to Pele’s forty years earlier.)
Sadly the gesture was not even acknowledged by many outlets, reaffirming how far the women’s game has to go. (Indeed, compare that lack of attention to the inches dedicated to Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish tatty ones recently.) However, it is a hugely important moment and one that sees, somewhat ironically, an ‘unknown’ boot join the list of ‘game changers’.
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