They actually said perhaps the most electrifying player in the world-male or female but it's still pretty incredible that a major publication would even suggest she's the most exciting player in the world even including all the men. LATE IN THE SECOND HALF of a World Cup semifinal match against the United States in 2007, Marta Vieira da Silva, a Brazilian who is the best player in women’s soccer — and perhaps the most electrifying performer in the game, male or female — caught up to a pass and controlled it about 20 yards from the American goal. The crowd inside the stadium in the Chinese city Hangzhou roared, as soccer fans do any time Marta is near the ball, even when she has no obvious path forward. With her back to the goal and a defender pressing her, Marta lifted the ball into the air with her right foot, then poked it with her left heel past the U.S. player, who responded by haplessly trying to grab her uniform. Marta pirouetted on by — almost literally running a circle around her opponent — dribbled around another defender (who stumbled and nearly fell) and shot the ball past the goalkeeper. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/05/magazine/05marta-t.html?_r=5&ref=americas&pagewanted=all&team=la There really isn't a Pele or Maradona type player anymore anyway. Ronaldo (Brazil) was like that but not anymore and so was Ronaldhino to a certain extent. Zidane was also a player with quite a lot of flash. I've watched Kaka with AC Milan and although he has some great moves he doesn't use the razzle dazzle moves too often like Marta does. From what I've seen of Cristiano Ronaldo he really isn't like the Brazilian Ronaldo.
I certainly make every effort to watch any game in which Marta is playing - and I am sure many others feel the same way. And I very much agree with your point that her being featured by major-media is significant in itself. Marta, and WPS, have the potential to be of major significance to our female youth; the role-modeling is hugely important. It has every potential for being what MLB and NFL are for boys. Soccer is the one activity for our girls that is both demanding (physically, mentally and spiritually) and a team sport in the true sense (not, like gymnastics, simply a sport where the team score is the sum of individual scores). So, I hope Marta continues to attract a lot of attention - and that she is very richly rewarded for it, both in terms of compensation and esteem. The more girls see of such success, the more our social structure will benefit from it.