Former Chelsea and Juventus striker Eniola Aluko, who won more than 100 England caps, has retired.
Aluko, 32, left Juventus in December after nearly 18 months with the Serie A champions and had been tipped to return to the Women’s Super League.
She was also part of the Great Britain team at the London 2012 Olympics.
“Thank you football for everything you’ve given and taught me,” said Aluko on Twitter. “Thanks for the full circle moments and crazy unexpected journey.”
Aluko is England’s joint-10th most capped international, scoring 33 goals in 102 senior appearances.
But her last international appearance came in 2016 and she was subsequently involved in a discrimination case against former England boss Mark Sampson in 2017.
The Football Association apologised to Aluko in October 2017 for racially discriminatory remarks made by Sampson in 2014.
Writing in The Players’ Tribune, Aluko penned a “thank you letter” to football for the experiences it had given her during a playing career which began with Birmingham City in 2001.
“You have given me the dream of playing in the US, the pride of representing England, the thrill of winning titles with Chelsea, the adventure of playing for Juventus in Italy,” she said.
“Whenever I have faced obstacles, you have shattered them. Whenever I have had great expectations, you have exceeded them.”
Aluko, whose younger brother Sone plays for Reading, also added she was “content with her career” and hinted that she would remain involved in the game.
“There are a few things I did not achieve, but I know I can’t have it all,” said Aluko, who has also worked as a television pundit in the latter years of her playing career. “I took the hardest option every time, and I think I have been rewarded for it.
“I honestly believe women’s football will continue to hit an even higher level in the next few years. I want to do my part to make sure that happens.”
Article courtesy of BBC Sport
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