Brazilian icon Marta left home at 14 to become a legend in the women's game

Fighting spirit is a trait that stands out in Brazil star Marta's letter to herself as a teenager.

Two years ago the all-time World Cup top scorer published a 'Letter to My Younger Self' on The Players' Tribune, where she explained to a 14-year-old Marta why she should continue to battle to become a footballer.

Born in Dois Rachos, a small town in Alagoas, Brazil, girls playing football was frowned upon. Marta was the only girl chasing a ball around the streets while her mother would be questioned why she was allowing her daughter to play.

Against popular opinion a young Marta carried on chasing her dream to become a star on the pitch.

She played for her local team, Centro Sportivo Alagoano (CSA) in Alagoas before she moved to Vasco da Gama in Rio de Janeiro - a side based 1,252 miles away from her home.

At the age of just 14 Marta left her family and all she knew to commit to trying to achieve her ambition in life.

After four seasons in Brazil Marta had proved she had what it took and Swedish outfit Umea IK came calling. In four campaigns she lifted four league trophies, the UEFA Cup as well as the Swedish Cup.

'Without going to Sweden, you won't become the player you do,' Marta wrote in the letter.

The Scandinavian country was where Marta made a name for herself, scoring 111 league goals in 103 matches, and in a place which respected the women's game.

Marta was crowned FIFA World Player of the Year for the first time while plying her trade at Umea IK and she received a special homecoming back in Dois Rachos - a sign that she had been accepted for playing football.

As the women's game has continued to grow in the last decade the 33-year-old has pushed herself, testing her ability against the best in the United States and back in Sweden.

Marta did head back to Brazil to play for Santos on two separate occasions but it is the six FIFA World Player of the Year awards and her achievements with the national team that has seen her referred to as the 'Pele with skirts'.

The forward, who won the Golden Ball and Golden Shoe at the 2007 World Cup, was given that adulation by the Brazil legend himself.

Marta has scored 113 goals in 146 caps for Brazil and during this year's Women's World Cup she became the first ever player to score at five different tournaments.

And on Tuesday she broke another record as she overtook Germany's Miroslav Klose to become the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history with 17 goals.

Marta has and continues to inspire the next generation of young females and after the heights she has reached some may think she has won her battle.