This Footballer Is Sick Of Being Compared To A Man

It's a common frustration among many women – you're absolutely killing it at work, at the top of your game, even. And yet people still compare you to the men around you. Marta Vieira da Silva is thought the best female footballer player ever and has been dazzling audiences at the Rio Olympics as part of the Brazilian women's team. She's been playing for her country since she was 16 years old and helped Brazil beat China by 3-0 in the opening match at the Games. Da Silva's stunning performance elicited chants from fans: "Marta is better than Neymar!", referring to the Brazilian striker thought to be one of the world's best players. After the match, she was even asked if she’s better than Neymar. But da Silva didn't take kindly to these comparisons. She has also been compared to Brazilian legend Pele throughout her career, who himself called her "Pele with a skirt". "Marta is Marta, Neymar is Neymar," she told a reporter, visibly unhappy about the question.

She was then asked if a gold medal at the Games would finally stop the comparisons to men and help boost support for women's football in Brazil. "I have to live my life day-to-day and try my best on the field with my team to get victories. I don’t know what’s going to happen if we win the gold medal. We want the gold medal for ourselves, for our careers, for women’s soccer." Da Silva has been credited with increasing the popularity of the women's game in Brazil, but she said there's a long way to go before it's as big as the men's game in the country. "A lot has to happen and evolve and we know that, but the support is way bigger now compared to when I started playing."