Marta suffers knee ligament injury & requires surgery | OneFootball

Legendary player Marta is set to remain on the sidelines for the foreseeable future after suffering a knee ligament injury in Orlando Pride’s 1-0 loss to the North Carolina Courage.

The NWSL player has since confirmed via Instagram that she will require surgery.

“Unfortunately, I will be out of the field for a while,” she wrote.

“This will be another chapter of my story and I’m sure I’ll come out of it stronger!! Now it’s time to focus on my recovery to get back to doing what I love most, representing my country, my people and my team.”

Marta sustained the injury in the 19th minute when jumping to bring down a long ball. The Brazil international made contact with North Carolina’s Denise O’Sullivan on the way down, forcing Marta to land awkwardly.

While she was able to walk off the field unaccompanied and re-enter the match in the 22nd minute, she fell once again and made her official exit.

This is a huge blow for the NWSL side, who counted on Marta to lead on and off the pitch as an experienced captain given that the team lost several veterans during the offseason.

Marta will also be absent from the Brazilian national team, as they continue their journey to qualify for the 2023 World Cup at this summer’s Copa America Femenina.