DOHA, Qatar — The inaugural FIFA award for the best goal in women’s soccer has been named after the legendary Brazilian player, Marta. On Tuesday, the 38-year-old was honored with the Marta Award during FIFA’s “The Best” ceremony for her remarkable goal scored for Brazil in a friendly match against Jamaica in June.

Previously, the Puskas Award encompassed all levels of soccer, but this year it was split to recognize the best goal in men’s soccer, awarded to Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho. The new Marta Award now celebrates excellence in women’s soccer.

Marta expressed her excitement, acknowledging the strong competition and extraordinary goals that were presented this season. “To compete against so many great players — we had some fantastic goals,” she remarked. “It’s been a wonderful season, too. But I’m even happier to receive an award that bears my name; this is undoubtedly the greatest honor.”

Often hailed as the greatest female soccer player in history, Marta has won the accolade for women’s player of the year six times—an unparalleled record. Over her illustrious career, she has netted an impressive 119 goals in 185 matches for Brazil, competing in six World Cups and six Olympic Games, before concluding her international career after this year’s Paris Games, where Brazil finished as runners-up against the United States.

Last month, she also celebrated her first National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) title, helping Orlando Pride secure a 1-0 victory over Washington Spirit in the final, where she contributed a goal in the semifinals.

Ahead of the championship match, Marta humorously pondered whether she could potentially award herself. “You guys need to decide, because who votes for the best goal in the year? It’s you. It’s the people in the public. So it should be really interesting, like Marta’s Award goes to Marta!” she joked.

The award is determined by a combination of fan votes and input from a panel of distinguished FIFA legends, highlighting Marta’s ongoing impact in the sport.