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30 greatest female athletes of all time

It's Women's History Month and to honor the great women who have graced the sports world, we've put together a list of the greatest female athletes ever.

By Nick Villano

Caitlin Clark celebrates a big play for the Iowa Hawkeyes
Caitlin Clark celebrates a big play for the Iowa Hawkeyes / Matthew Holst/GettyImages
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18. Marta Vieira da Silva
Soccer

Marta Vieira da Silva might be the most controversial ranking on this list, as many will want her to be higher. She’s largely considered one of the best soccer/football players in history. The Brazilian wonder earned FIFA’s Female World Player of the Year for five consecutive seasons from 2006 to 2010 (six times overall). That’s impressive on its own, but Marta thrived on the biggest possible stage.

Marta has more World Cup goals than any female player ever. Her 17 goals are three more than anyone has scored in World Cup history. Wambach and German forward Birgit Prinz are tied for second with 14. Despite playing so well on this stage, she was never able to get Brazil to the big stage, coming in second in 2007. In 2011, Brazil scored nine goals and had just two goals against, but they still lost in the quarterfinals. However, it was clear the team was losing in spite of her Herculean efforts. 

Marta now plays on club teams worldwide, and she’s been a mainstay for the Orlando Pride of the National Women’s Soccer League here in the U.S. Everywhere she goes, she scores goals in bunches. Her athleticism is palpable and obvious, putting her in a position to score repeatedly. 

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