Former England captain Steph Houghton announces retirement

The blog article was released on March 27, 2024 and should take approximately 4 minutes to read.

The women's team of England at the senior level.

Retirement Confirmed For Lioness And Man City Star By 2023-24 Season's End

Steph Houghton, who is a previous skipper of the English national team, has stated that she will be hanging up her boots once the 2023-24 football season comes to a close.

Throughout her 14-year stint with the senior team, the Manchester City athlete earned herself a whopping 121 caps for the Lionesses. In addition to this, she also had the honor of representing England at three different World Cups (namely, in the years 2011, 2015, and 2019) and at two different EURO Finals (in the years 2013 and 2017).

She played for England's development squads at the WU19, WU20, WU21 and WU23 levels before she earned her senior team debut against Russia in a match held in Milton Keynes in the year 2007.

Regrettably, her leg was injured, causing her to miss the 2007 World Cup. After two years, she experienced more misfortune when she incurred a grave knee injury, preventing her from participating in EURO 2009. Nonetheless, the FA awarded her a central contract along with 16 other players. With the assistance of Hope Powell, she had a triumphant return and played a pivotal role in the international arena.

Following her standout performance for Team GB during the London 2012 Olympics, which included a memorable goal against Brazil at Wembley, she was chosen to lead the squad in 2014 under new Lionesses boss Mark Sampson. Since then, she has consistently excelled in her role as captain.

She was a pivotal figure in guiding the Lionesses to a respectable third position in the 2015 World Cup held in Canada. This achievement marked a significant turning point for women's football in England. In the following years, the team went on to secure back-to-back semi-final berths in 2017 and 2019, which ignited the interest and support of the entire nation and accelerated the growth of the sport. As a true leader on the field, she played a crucial role in all of these successes.

The Director of Women's Football for the Football Association, Baroness Sue Campbell, stated that Steph has played a significant role in the expansion of women's football and has influenced not only football but also the wider sporting industry. She has been a perfect example of someone to emulate.

Some girls may have witnessed Steph's impressive performance on the field, her unwavering spirit, and strong moral principles and thought to themselves, "I aspire to be like Steph Houghton."

On my own behalf and that of the FA, I want to express my gratitude to Steph for her contributions both on and off the field. We have been fortunate to have her in the women's game and I hope she experiences nothing but success in her retirement.

According to Kay Cossington, the FA's technical director for women, Steph is an exceptional player who has been a captain and earned 121 England caps. She is highly respected in the women's game and will go down in history as one of the best players of all time.

She is renowned in the community of women's football, and her effect is much more significant than her previous accomplishments during matches. Her excellent performance with England and within her club contexts served as a tremendous motivation for aspiring players who strive for growth.

We will always extend a warm invitation to Steph at St. George's Park and Wembley Stadium, and we are excited to honor her during a home game and give her the acknowledgement she has earned.

The head coach of the England women's team, Sarina Wiegman, expressed that Steph deserves all the acknowledgment that she will receive for her incredible career. Wiegman also shares that Steph has been a motivation and an example to many young girls who aspire to become successful like her. Lastly, the coach wishes her the best of luck with whatever comes next and presented her excitement to honor Steph's accomplishments during one of their games later this year.

Houghton originated from Durham and commenced her professional journey with Sunderland. At a very young age, she was awarded as the FA Young Player of the Year in 2006, which also led her to be part of the first team. Afterwards, she transferred to Leeds Carnegie, and with her skills and contribution, her team was crowned as the champions in the Women's FA Cup in 2010.

Later that year, she transferred to Arsenal, where she attained victories in the Women's Super League championships in 2011 and 2012 and also received two additional FA Cup honors in 2011 and 2013.

In 2014, she headed back up to the north where she agreed to a contract with Manchester City. It resulted in her winning another WSL title in 2016, as well as achieving victory in the FA Cup during the years 2017, 2019, and 2020.

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