Women's World Cup Preview: Group A

Group A

France: Wendie Renard

Wendie Renard grew up in Martinique, an overseas region of France in the Caribbean, where she was always playing soccer with the boys, using goal posts made of shoes and kicking anything that would roll, from balls to plastic bottles. 

It was rare for girls to play soccer in Martinique, but Renard’s family — particularly the women — pushed her to play, especially after her father died to cancer when she was 8. Her aunt was a referee; her mother never turned down an opportunity to watch a match.