Meet Ana Maria Markovic The "World's Most Beautiful Female Footballer" (Photos)

Ana Maria Markovic is a striker for the Swiss club Grasshopper Club Zürich, yet the majority of her stories have nothing to do with her on the pitch.

The 22-year-old has over 580,000 Instagram followers, and the attacker's image is routinely highlighted in the media.

Markovic told 20 Minuten in Switzerland that she liked being called the "world's most attractive footballer," but that being sexy was a step too far.

When asked about a recent article in Serbia that referred to her as a "blonde bombshell," she responded: "I like publications that referred to me as the most beautiful footballer or one of the most beautiful because hearing that I am attractive makes me happy."

"But then there were newspaper pieces describing me as the sexiest footballer in the world. That didn't sit well with me. Because of my family, too."

"I believe you should be cautious about what you write about others... However, it wasn't all horrible."

She went on to say that she dislikes being judged only on her appearance and that many people had approached her under false pretenses.

"A lot of people posing as managers wrote to me, and I understand precisely what they want from me," she explained.

"They've never seen me play football and simply observe me from the sidelines. That is a tremendous pity in my opinion.

"Such people, I believe, should learn more about me and see what I can do in footballing terms.

"Many have also made me feel like I'm attractive simply because they think they can earn money off of me on social media."

Markovic was just called up to the Croatian national team, and she believes her appearance had nothing to do with her selection. When asked if this was a possibility, she said: "No, everything went smoothly with the national team.

"They gave me a professional vibe and used YouTube footage to analyze my footballing performance. Those in charge at the Croatian Federation performed an excellent job."

When asked why she chose Croatia over Switzerland, where she had lived for many years, she explained: "I don't even have a Swiss passport, to be honest. That's why, despite the fact that I'll apply for a passport soon, I won't be able to play for Switzerland right now.

"However, I would have picked Croatia regardless. I wore a Croatia jersey since I was a kid. Playing for this country means a lot to me."

See more photos