Lieke Martens: ‘Ronaldinho was my idol. Long hair, great dribbles … I loved him’ | Suzanne Wrack


The Netherlands midfielder, the reigning Fifa and Uefa player of the year, on life at Barcelona and the pressures of being a role model

The girl playing football in the small Dutch town of Bergen in the late 90s did not know there was a women’s game. Instead her idol was Ronaldinho. Why? “Because I was a Barça fan,” says Lieke Martens. “He had long hair like me and great dribbles. I loved him. He was technical, made a lot of goals.”

Watch the Netherlands and Barcelona midfielder now and one can tell why she is a fan of the Brazil great. Her Cruyff turn, back to goal, to take out two Belgium players, leaving one on the floor, as she drove forward at Euro 2017, is a taste of the 25-year-old’s ability to trick and turn her way out of the tightest gaps.

Related: Fran Kirby named Football Writers’ Women’s Footballer of the Year

Related: Cristiano Ronaldo and Lieke Martens take Fifa player-of-the-year awards

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