London: Former England Women’s captain Steph Houghton announced on Wednesday that she will retire from football at the end of the season.
The 35-year-old Manchester City defender, who won 121 caps for the Lionesses, will end her playing career at the end of the current Women’s Super League campaign.
Houghton began her career at North East club Sunderland in 2002 and also represented Leeds Carnegie and Arsenal before moving to City 10 years ago.
“It’s not an easy way to say it, but at the end of the current WSL season I am retiring from football,” Houghton said in a statement posted on her website.
“The decision to retire is such a difficult thing. Although age comes to every player, it doesn’t get any easier to say the words out loud. Football was my life, my passion and I loved the career I was doing.” had
“I’m excited for whatever comes next, but in the meantime I remain focused on giving everything I have left for Manchester City over the next two months.”
City head coach Gareth Taylor said: “Steph is – without question – an icon of the game. Although her professional career on the pitch is now coming to an end, her legacy will be felt for many years to come. She is paving the way for so many to thrive in the future.”
After making her international debut in 2007, Houghton appeared in five major international tournaments but made her final appearance for England in 2021 before being left out of the Lionesses’ victorious Euro 2022 squad after failing to recover in time from Achilles surgery.
Outside of football, Houghton has also campaigned to raise funds for motor neurone research, with her husband Stephen Darby – a former Liverpool defender – suffering from MND.
