Five-time FIFA World Player of the Year Marta finally has a new home: Tyresö in Sweden.
Marta’s three year deal in WPS, which saw her play for three different clubs amidst uncertainty and folded teams, ended following the 2011 season and she has since been exploring her options. With tears in her eyes as she spoke at her introductory press conference on Wednesday, Marta officially signed with Tyresö, joining the likes of Caroline Seger and Veronica Boquete, to name just two of the club’s top-notch players.
Marta previously played in Sweden with Umeå IK, winning four Swedish Damallsvenskan titles and one UEFA Champions League crown.
Reports on what her salary fluctuate wildly, with some Brazilian press outlets suggesting she will earn $2.27 million USD (Portuguese). Reports out of Sweden suggest the figure is far lower, with the number being pegged at 1 million Swedish crowns (only about $150,000).
It will require some time to delve into a more accurate report on what Marta stands to make from the deal. Over time, WPS team officials slowly revealed details of Marta’s three-year, $500,000 annual contract with WPS as time passed.
Sweden is where Marta – still just 26 years old – burst onto the scene with Umeå IK from 2004 to 2008. She moved to the Los Angeles Sol in 2009, but the team folded and she moved up the California coast to FC Gold Pride. Marta led that team to a WPS title before it folded in the offseason. She moved to Rochester, N.Y., where she led the Western New York Flash to a 2011 championship, but WPS suspended play for 2012.
It never seemed likely that Marta would return to WPS this season anyway. Several factors played into her decision to return to Sweden, but the volatile nature of WPS – a league that shipped her around to three different markets in a country where she could not move the needle on women’s soccer – only further pushed her away. Following Western New York’s championship victory in August, the goodbyes seemed to be genuine from Marta, as if she would not return to WPS (little did we know then that nobody would).
Now it’s back to Sweden. And for American fans? No Marta. No WPS.
Check out video (in Swedish) here. That link also discusses small business owners piecing together $1 million Swedish crowns (about $150,000 USD) to obtain Marta.
UPDATE:
A couple of Swedish reports tried to make sense of Marta’s salary (thanks to Daniel for pointing these out). You’re best off if you know Swedish, because the translations are very rough.
This article, written by a journalist who covered Marta in her Umeå IK days, estimates her salary to be between approximately $150,000 – $225,000.
In this interview, Tyresö Chairman Hans Lindberg says Marta’s salary is “much less than” 2.5 million Swedish crowns
That jersey will be crowded on the front and the back. The shirt front is loaded with sponsor decals and, on the back, Marta has chosen to wear number 100. Yes, 100.
ELSEWHERE:
Ali Riley and Rebecca Moros are training in Duisburg currently. It’s too late for them to sign this season, but the team is hopeful they can sign the pair for the 2012-13 season (German). Before she hopped onto her plane to Germany on Tuesday, Riley chatted with me on “This Week in Women’s Soccer” and discussed future playing option.
