"Marta's Dream": a Christmas tale read by Antonio Conte

There was once a girl called Marta who loved football more than anything else. Every morning, as soon as she opened her eyes, she would immediately go looking for a ball, start kicking it around and never stop. She kicked it around while she was eating breakfast, while she was getting ready to go to school and during the break at school. She kicked it around while returning home and after eating lunch. She even kicked it around while doing her homework! Football was her only thought. This is why, before going to sleep, she would look at a poster above her small bed every evening, squeeze her eyes shut and dream of one day turning out like her idol. The poster was of the best striker in the world.

Marta had always liked football. She especially liked to play it at home in the living room and the kitchen. She would play with one of her five brothers and sisters right until the moment that her mother and father, who were worried about vases and paintings getting broken, asked her to go and play on the small pitch in the neighbourhood. She would look at the small pitch from her window. It seemed like paradise to her, with white lines which seemed to be made of sugar and nets which seemed so amazingly big. She often dreamt of her first match out on the pitch with the other children, she imagined them embracing her with hugs and songs and being part of a team. Her very own team. However, her dreams were different to reality.

The same group of boys always played on the small pitch. Marta’s enthusiasm wasn’t enough: the boys didn’t like the idea of sharing the pitch with a girl. When the teams were selected, Marta was always the last to be chosen by the two captains. And during matches, very few of the boys dared to pass the ball to her because they were scared that their teammates would laugh and make comments. Despite the support of her brothers, Marta was often left watching.

The months passed and Christmas Eve arrived. It was a cold and snowy Christmas and, with many children having come down with flu, very few turned up to play on the small pitch that day. Marta was the first to arrive and, despite the bitter cold and snow beneath her shoes, she finally felt that her moment had come. “You’re the only girl. Do you think you’ll be able to play?” the boys asked her defiantly. “It’s all I want,” replied Marta as she kicked the ball. And what a kick it was! The others immediately knew that that girl would be the one who would make the difference.

Marta seemed to be the only one who was not feeling the cold. In fact, it was so cold that her teammates could barely move their feet. But there was just no stopping Marta: she was the fastest on the pitch and was covering every blade of grass at every moment. Her teammates couldn’t ignore her any longer. Her long and precise forward balls, her nutmegs, her assists and her four goals were decisive: her team won 7-0 and that day Marta finally felt like a true footballer.

In a short amount of time, she went from playing on that small pitch to joining the neighbourhood’s team. She was supported all the way by her mother and father, both of whom fought hard to convince the president to allow a girl to play for the team for the first time. And as soon as they saw her play, they couldn’t let her go.

Marta was 12 years old when she played her first friendly against Inter Women. She was so happy because her team full of boys came up against girls like her for the first time. The match seemed like a dream to her and she tried everything to show everyone what she could do. A few evenings later, she was in the kitchen with her mother, who was making lasagne. Suddenly, the phone rang. Her father answered it: “Yes, it’s me. Yes, she’s my daughter. Yes, of course. Tomorrow at three is absolutely fine.” He turned around with watery eyes and looked at his little girl: Inter Women had asked if she wanted to train with them. Marta’s life was about to change.

She was really happy as she turned up for the training session, although the thought of sharing a changing room with 15 other girls for the first time made her a little nervous. However, in just a few months, the girls became her second family. And with the Nerazzurre, Marta went on to win the Serie B league title, play in Serie A and make her debut for the Italian National Team. Above all, she managed to make her dream come true, a dream that she had wanted to fulfil ever since she was that little girl squeezing her eyes shut every night.

Click here to listen to the audiobook of "Marta's Dream" read in Italian by Antonio Conte