Mia Hamm

Mia Hamm

Mariel Margaret "Mia" Hamm (born March 17, 1972) is a retired American, women's soccer player. Hamm played many years as a forward for the United States women's national soccer team and was a founding member of the Washington Freedom. Hamm scored 158 international goals, more than any other player, male or female, in the history of soccer. She is the second most capped female player in soccer history behind Kristine Lilly, appearing in 275 international matches.

Hamm was named the women's FIFA World Player of the Year the first two times that award was given (in 2001 and 2002), and is listed as one of FIFA's 125 best living players (as chosen by Pelé). Washington Post columnist Michael Wilbon called Hamm, "Perhaps the most important athlete of the last 15 years."

She retired from the sport in 2004, when she played her last game in the 2004 Fan Celebration Tour to commemorate the U.S. women's national team's victory in the 2004 Olympics. In 2007, her first year of eligibility, she was selected for induction into the National Soccer Hall of Fame by having 137 votes of the 141 ballots cast. Women's Professional Soccer, a professional soccer league that launched in 2009, featured Hamm's silhouette in its logo.

Hamm was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2006 and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame on March 11, 2008.

She is the author of Go For the Goal: A Champion's Guide to Winning in Soccer and Life. She appeared in the HBO documentary Dare to Dream: The Story of the U.S. Women's Soccer Team.