Russia's World Cup was great – now getting behind women in France 2019 | Marta | Soccer

T The men's World Cup ended and for me the tournament was a success. Questions had been asked about the type of tournament that Russia would deliver and although I am not able to go there, it seems to have been very well organized and almost all comments were positive.

sport, because the biggest event of all must be an example in every aspect and I believe this tournament has been.

And the good news is that we must not wait another four years before there is another World Cup next summer, in France, the female version will take place. Brazil is qualified and I am already excited about the prospect of playing against the best players and teams around the world.

I am sure that next summer's tournament, just like the one in Russia, will be very well organized. I expect that there are a lot of great games, a lot of supporters attending the games and, of course, more media coverage – of television, online and print – than ever before. Our sport is growing and it is our chance to show that women's football is also exciting and attractive.

The tournament in France will be my fifth World Cup and if I had to pick one where the fans and atmosphere were the best, I would say 2007 in China. I think my favorite moment also comes from this tournament, when we beat the United States and reached the final. In terms of results, it was our best World Cup.

Women's football has made tremendous progress in recent decades and I am confident that this will continue. There is always a battle to get more coverage on TV, in newspapers and on websites – so it's up to players to do what we can to improve that, it's to play the best possible way, to do our job with love and Women's football is attractive and endearing and, above all, a beautiful game.

We must also have people who really want to improve the sport to get involved. Sometimes, there are individuals who are looking for a short-term financial return on their investment rather than be prepared to wait patiently for a return. We need people who see the picture as a whole to get involved.

I believe that women's football has evolved a lot since my debut and it's mainly because of the players and their quality. There is now a better competition with more and more teams better prepared than ever before. It helps too.

Day after day, women's football becomes stronger, more interesting and more beautiful. There are more and more teams, more and more leagues and, I find, less prejudice and discrimination.

FIFA helps promote football but, as in all areas, there is room to do better. Women's football could be better promoted, for example. Fifa is the biggest operator in world football and he is able to influence a lot of people with everything he does. I think that nowadays, young girls who grow up believe that they can make as much career in football as boys, that they can have this opportunity.

They will know that it will be difficult to succeed financially as male players have but at least nowadays it is easier to find clubs and schools that take women's football seriously. It is more acceptable than ever that girls play football. I also think that the current generation of women footballers is an excellent model when it comes to promoting sport, making girls dream that they can do it too.

If I were responsible for promoting women's football in the world, I would advertise all the good aspects of the sport even more and I would like to start more football teams in schools and communities . I would also do what I have done since my childhood, which is to show that women are taking care of as well as men of the ball.

I would work hard for women's football to get even more coverage because without that promotion there is no way for people to realize the quality of what we do, to show that women's football exists and that it is very interesting.

I loved writing for the Guardian and the Observer during the 2018 Russia. That made me feel very close to the tournament despite the fact that I had matches and workouts with my club, Orlando Pride, here in the United States. It was an amazing experience. Thank you for having me.