'We Can Be Girls' Idols Instead Of Messi, Ronaldo,' Female Football Star Says

As Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo receive a high degree of reverence from fans worldwide, Chelsea FC Women star Pernille Harder is optimistic that ardent followers of the sport would appreciate its female athletes as well.

Soccer has diversified over the years. Today, women’s football is growing and female booter such as Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan have already established their own fanbase.

Weighing in on the development of the scene, Harder recently revealed how she witnessed women’s football gradually gain recognition across the globe.

According to Harder, she vividly remembers the time when football was only dominated by men as women’s football hardly get media exposure at the time.

"When I was young, there were not that many women's players for me to see on the platforms or see games on TV,” Harder said on WSL Live. “Most of my idols were actually men's players.”

"Marta de Silva was one player that I looked up to and was my big idol,” she continued. “I watched YouTube clips of her, so she was my inspiration. There was not that much [TV coverage]. I don't remember seeing many women's football games on television when I was a kid.”

However, the 2020 UEFA Women’s Player of the Year further emphasized that times have changed and now, through the help of the media, female football standouts like her are starting to carve their niche as well.

For Harder, the press has done a great job for young women who also aspire to become football players.

"In the last five years, I feel like it's really been growing a lot and many games are now on television,” the Chelsea forward stated. "Many of our games here in England can be watched in Denmark. I find it really good. So many young girls can watch us play and now we can be their idols instead of [Lionel] Messi and [Cristiano] Ronaldo."

Throughout their stellar careers, Messi and Ronaldo have been icons of modern football. The pair has reached superstardom that Rapinoe, who is also an award-winning athlete in women’s football, believes both legendary figures can use their fame to help the campaign for racial equality.

"They could do so much if they decided to use their stupendous level of popularity to fight racism, for example," the 2019 Ballon d’Or Feminin winner previously told L'Equipe Mag. "I'm not talking about wearing a Black Lives Matter T-shirt, I'm talking about going deeper."