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Biography
Lieke Elisabeth Petronella Martens RON ([ˈlikə ʔeːˈlisaːbɛt peːtroːˈnɛlaː ˈmɑrtəns]; born 16 December 1992), is a Dutch footballer who plays as a midfielder for FC Barcelona Femení and the Netherlands women's national team. In 2017, she was named UEFA Women's Player of the Year and FIFA Women's Player of the Year
Early life
Lieke Elisabeth Petronella Martens was born on 16 December 1992 in Bergen in the north of the province of Limburg in the south of the Netherlands.
Club career
Martens represented SC Heerenveen (2009–2010) and VVV-Venlo (2010–2011) in the Vrouwen Eredivisie and Standard Liège (2011–2012) in the Belgian First Division. In her first official match with Standard she scored two goals to help win her first major title, the newly founded BeNe Super Cup.
She played for German Bundesliga club FCR 2001 Duisburg from 2012 to 2014.
Signing for Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC ahead of the 2014 Damallsvenskan season, Martens made her debut against Vittsjö GIK. Although right-footed, she played on the left wing. Coach Stefan Rehn praised Martens' technique and her understanding with compatriot centre forward Manon Melis.
In November 2015 it was announced that Martens had left Göteborg, transferring to Damallsvenskan champions FC Rosengård on a one-year contract.
In July 2017 Martens signed for FC Barcelona. She made her debut for the club as a substitute in a 9–0 win against Zaragoza CCF. She scored her first goal in a 10–0 win over Santa Teresa.
Martens helped FC Barcelona reach the final of the UEFA Women's Champions League In her second season. They lost the final 4–1 against Olympique Lyonnais on 18 May in Budapest.
International career
Martens was the top scorer of the 2010 U-19 Euro, tied at four goals with Turid Knaak. In August 2011 she played her first game for the senior national team, in a friendly match against China.
In June 2013, national team coach Roger Reijners selected Martens in the Netherlands squad for UEFA Women's Euro 2013 in Sweden. She scored the Netherlands' first ever World Cup goal at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada.
Martens scored three goals in The Netherlands victorious 2017 UEFA Women's Euro campaign. For her performances in the tournament, Martens was included in the 2017 UEFA Team of the Tournament and won the Bronze Boot (third top scorer) and the Golden Ball (best player of the tournament).
Martens was selected in the final squad for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup in France, despite the fact that her large toe was injured. She scored both Dutch goals in a 2–1 victory over Japan in the round of 16, the second from a controversial VAR-awarded penalty.
International goals
- Scores and results list the Netherlands goal tally first.
| Goal | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 28 February 2012 | GSZ Stadium, Larnaca, Cyprus |  Italy | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2012 Cyprus Cup |
| (2.)* | 1 June 2012 | Woezik, Wijchen, Netherlands |  North Korea | 1–1 | 4–1 | Friendly |
| 2. | 5 June 2012 | Golden Tulip Victoria, Hoenderloo, Netherlands | North Korea | 2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 3. | 20 June 2012 | Stadion Srem Jakovo, Jakovo, Serbia |  Serbia | 3–0 | 4–0 | UEFA Women's Euro 2013 qualifying |
| 4. | 9 February 2013 | Regenboogstadion, Waregem, Belgium |  Belgium | 2–1 | 3–2 | Friendly |
| 5. | 8 March 2013 | GSP Stadium, Nicosia, Cyprus |  Switzerland | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2013 Cyprus Cup |
| 6. | 29 June 2013 | Telstar Stadion, Velsen-Zuid, Netherlands |  Australia | 1–0 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 7. | 2–1 | |||||
| 8. | 26 October 2013 | Estádio José de Carvalho, Maia, Portugal |  Portugal | 4–0 | 7–0 | 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification |
| 9. | 23 November 2013 | Stadion Woudestein, Rotterdam, Netherlands |  Greece | 1–0 | 7–0 | |
| 10. | 5–0 | |||||
| 11. | 7 March 2014 | GSP Stadium, Nicosia, Cyprus |  Scotland | 2–3 | 3–4 | 2014 Cyprus Cup |
| 12. | 12 March 2014 | GSZ Stadium, Larnaca, Cyprus | Switzerland | 2–1 | 4–1 | |
| 13. | 3–1 | |||||
| 14. | 10 April 2014 | Stadion De Braak, Helmond, Netherlands |  Albania | 6–1 | 10–1 | 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification |
| 15. | 8–1 | |||||
| 16. | 25 October 2014 | Tynecastle Stadium, Edinburgh, Scotland | Scotland | 1–0 | 2–1 | |
| 17. | 30 October 2014 | Sparta Stadion, Rotterdam, Netherlands | Scotland | 1–0 | 2–0 | |
| 18. | 7 February 2015 | Polman Stadion, Almelo, Netherlands |  Thailand | 4–0 | 7–0 | Friendly |
| 19. | 8 April 2015 | Strømmen Stadion, Strømmen, Norway |  Norway | 1–1 | 3–2 | |
| 20. | 3–2 | |||||
| 21. | 6 June 2015 | Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton, Canada |  New Zealand | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup |
| 22. | 17 September 2015 | De Vijverberg, Doetinchem, Netherlands |  Belarus | 1–0 | 8–0 | Friendly |
| 23. | 8–0 | |||||
| 24. | 29 November 2015 | Kras Stadion, Volendam, Netherlands |  Japan | 1–0 | 3–1 | |
| 25. | 22 January 2016 | Limak Arcadia Atlantis Football Center, Belek, Turkey |  Denmark | 1–0 | 2–0 | |
| 26. | 8 March 2017 | Estádio Algarve, Faro/Loulé, Portugal | Japan | 2–0 | 3–2 | 2017 Algarve Cup |
| 27. | 7 April 2017 | Stadion Galgenwaard, Utrecht, Netherlands |  France | 1–2 | 1–2 | Friendly |
| 28. | 11 April 2017 | Stadion De Vijverberg, Doetinchem, Netherlands |  Iceland | 3–0 | 4–0 | |
| 29. | 13 June 2017 | De Adelaarshorst, Deventer, Netherlands |  Austria | 3–0 | 3–0 | |
| 30. | 8 July 2017 | Sparta-Stadion Het Kasteel, Rotterdam, Netherlands |  Wales | 1–0 | 5–0 | |
| 31. | 24 July 2017 | Koning Willem II Stadion, Tilburg, Netherlands | Belgium | 2–1 | 2–1 | UEFA Women's Euro 2017 |
| 32. | 29 July 2017 | De Vijverberg, Doetinchem, Netherlands |  Sweden | 1–0 | 2–0 | |
| 33. | 6 August 2017 | De Grolsch Veste, Enschede, Netherlands | Denmark | 2–1 | 4–2 | |
| 34. | 28 February 2018 | Bela Vista Municipal Stadium, Parchal, Portugal | Japan | 1–0 | 6–2 | 2018 Algarve Cup |
| 35. | 6–1 | |||||
| 36. | 3 March 2018 | VRS António Sports Complex, Vila Real de Santo António, Portugal | Denmark | 2–2 | 3–2 | |
| 37. | 6 April 2018 | Philips Stadion, Eindhoven, Netherlands |  Northern Ireland | 1–0 | 7–0 | 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification |
| 38. | 2–0 | |||||
| 39. | 12 June 2018 | Abe Lenstra Stadion, Heerenveen, Netherlands |  Slovakia | 1–0 | 1–0 | |
| 40. | 9 November 2018 | Stadion Galgenwaard, Utrecht, Netherlands | Switzerland | 2–0 | 3–0 | |
| 41. | 5 April 2019 | GelreDome, Arnhem, Netherlands |  Mexico | 2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 42. | 9 April 2019 | AFAS Stadion, Alkmaar, Netherlands |  Chile | 2–0 | 7–0 | |
| 43. | 25 June 2019 | Roazhon Park, Rennes, France | Japan | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup |
| 44. | 2–1 | |||||
| 45. | 10 March 2020 | Stade du Hainaut, Valenciennes, France | France | 3–2 | 3–3 | 2020 Tournoi de France |
* Note: Match not considered as an official friendly.
Honours
Club
Standard Liège
- BeNe Super Cup: Winner 2011
FC Rosengård
- Svenska Cupen: Winner 2015–16
- Svenska Supercupen: Winner 2016
FC Barcelona
- Copa de la Reina de Fútbol: Winner 2018
- Copa Catalunya: Winner 2017, 2018, 2019
International
Netherlands
- UEFA Women's Championship: Winner 2017
- Algarve Cup: 2018
Individual
- UEFA Women's Player of the Year Award: 2017
- The Best FIFA Women's Player: 2017
- FIFPro World XI: 2017
- UEFA Women's Euro 2017: Player of the Tournament
- UEFA Women's Euro 2017: UEFA Team of the Tournament
- The 100 Best Female Footballers In The World Winner: 2017