‘World’s most beautiful footballer’ says she hates being called ‘sexy’

An athlete who’s been called the ‘world’s most beautiful footballer’ says she hates it when she’s labelled ‘sexy’ – because it leads to dozens of unwanted messages from men trying to date her. 

Croatian forward Ana Maria Markovic, who plays for Swiss Women’s Super League club Grasshopper, regularly posts photographs of herself wearing swimwear on her Instagram account, which has 582,000 followers. 

However, while she says she’s happy with the term ‘beautiful’, she doesn’t like the word ‘sexy’, saying that whenever it’s attributed to her in articles, she has to deal with people pretending to be agents or managers in a bid to get close to her. 

22-year-old forward Ana Maria Markovic plays club football in Switzerland’s Women’s Super League and represents her home nation of Croatia

The Split-born footballer regularly posts photographs of herself in swimwear on Instagram – and has more than 580,000 followers…but says being called ‘sexy’ sparks sleazy messages

She told German media outlet 20mins that while she’s happy to be called ‘beautiful’, when the media label her ‘sexy’, she gets messages from people pretending to be football managers and agents – trying to get close to her

She told German site 20min in an interview: ‘I liked the articles that called me the most beautiful footballer or one of the most beautiful because it makes me happy to hear that I am beautiful.’

She says while beautiful seems to attract the right attention, the word ‘sexy’ doesn’t. 

She explained: ‘Newspaper articles appeared in which I was described as the sexiest footballer. I didn’t like that. Also because of my family. 

‘I think you have to be careful what you write about people. Especially if you have ones that do not know. But overall it wasn’t that bad.’

She told the media outlet: ‘After that, a lot of people wrote to me pretending to be managers, and I know exactly what they want from me. 

She explained: ‘Newspaper articles appeared in which I was described as the sexiest footballer. After that, a lot of people wrote to me pretending to be managers, and I know exactly what they want from me.’

The footballer plays for Swiss Women’s Super League club Grasshopper and regularly posts photographs of herself wearing swimwear on her Instagram account, which has 582,000 followers

Her favourite player is Cristiano Ronaldo, she says, who inspired her to play the game when she was a teenager

‘They’ve never seen me play football and only look at the outside. I find that a great pity. I think such people should find out more beforehand and see what I can do in terms of football.’  

The footballer was born in Split, Croatia but moved to Switzerland when she was 12, and started playing football seriously at the age of 14.

She told Croatia Week that Cristiano Ronaldo inspired her as a teenager.   

‘I started playing because of the motivation I felt when I saw that women’s football was growing more and more. Also because of the motivation generated by watching some men’s football matches, especially when Cristiano Ronaldo was playing, obviously.’

‘My favorite player is undoubtedly Cristiano Ronaldo, and he always will be. What he did and continues to do throughout his football career is impressive and incomparable. I consider him the best in the entire history of football.’