Mia Hamm

American soccer icon and World Cup champion.

Born on March 17, 1972, in Selma, Alabama, Mariel Margaret Hamm was the fourth of six children.^[1][2] According to a March 2026 ESPN article by Jenkins, Hamm's 158 international goals place her third among all players, male or female.^[3][4] Hamm holds ownership stakes in Los Angeles FC and Angel City FC, and from 2014 through 2020 she served on the board of directors for A.S. Roma.^[5]

Quick Facts

Full name: Mariel Margaret Hamm
Born: 17 March 1972
Birthplace: Selma, Alabama, U.S.
Position: Forward, midfielder

Facts from the source article.

Life and work

She announced her retirement in May 2004 and retired after the Athens Olympics, where she carried the U.S. flag at the closing ceremony.^[6] Hamm married Boston Red Sox shortstop Nomar Garciaparra on November 22, 2003.^[7] Because she was born with a club foot, Hamm wore corrective shoes when she was a toddler.^[1][2] While her family lived in Florence, Italy, Hamm first played soccer; at age five she joined her initial team in Wichita Falls, Texas.^[1][8]

Hamm first played for the U.S. national team at the 1987 U.S. Olympic Festival, when she was 15 years old.^[9]

What the cited sources add

A CNN profile notes that Hamm was uncomfortable being the center of attention despite her fame.^[1] Hilton adds that Hamm scored five of the U.S. team's seven goals at the 1998 Goodwill Games.^[10] The same source states that Hamm made the WUSA's maximum salary of $85,000 playing for Washington in 2001.^[10]

References

"Soccer star raising goals in women's sports", CNN.com. facts only, no text reused. cnn.com
Wikipedia, "Mia Hamm" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Soccer star raising goals in women's sports", CNN.com; Hilton, "Feet of Gold", August 30, 2004 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
Jenkins, "Which soccer players have the most international goals of all time?", ESPN.com, March 27, 2026. facts only, no text reused. espn.com
Wikipedia, "Mia Hamm" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Jenkins, "Which soccer players have the most international goals of all time?", ESPN.com, March 27, 2026; "Mia Hamm", MAC Hermann Trophy (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Mia Hamm" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Mia Hamm", Angel City FC (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Mia Hamm" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Remarkable night, remarkable careers", ESPN FC, December 9, 2004; "Last kick: Mia Hamm to retire after Athens", ESPN, May 15, 2004; Whiteside, "Hamm shakes off Greece as U.S. women roll", USA Today, August 11, 2004; "U.S. Women Defeat Brazil 2-0 In Olympics Behind Hamm & Wambach Goals", US Soccer, August 14, 2004; "U.S. WNT Down Germany 2-1 In Overtime Of Olympic Semifinal", US Soccer, August 23, 2004; "U.S. defeats Brazil to win gold in women's soccer", Houston Chronicle, August 26, 2004; "U.S. defeats Brazil to win gold in women's soccer", en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Mia Hamm" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Hamm, Garciaparra tie knot", USA Today, November 24, 2003; "Nomar, Hamm wed in private ceremony", CNN, November 25, 2003; Brock, "Notes: Garciaparra gives twins update", MLB.com, March 30, 2007; Stueven, Michele, "Soccer Star Mia Hamm Welcomes Twin Girls", People, March 27, 2007; Nalbone, "Nomar Garciaparra was a 'star in waiting'", The Times, April 10, 2013 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Mia Hamm" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Christopher, "Mia Hamm: On the Field with ...", Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2009 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Mia Hamm" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Mia Hamm -- A Chronology of a World Record", U.S. Soccer, October 15, 2004 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Hilton, "Feet of Gold", August 30, 2004. facts only, no text reused. espn.com

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Mia Hamm (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.