Manchester City goalkeeper Karen Bardsley has announced her retirement.
The 37-year-old will officially hang up her boots at the end of the season, although injury means that she will not be involved in Manchester City’s final three matches.
FAWSL Full-Time were informed of Bardsley’s decision to retire via an official club press release from Manchester City this morning.
Bardsley joined Manchester City at the end of the 2013 season following a spell with Lincoln Ladies. The keeper has played in major role in The Cityzens winning eight trophies in eight seasons including the domestic treble in 2016/2017. Bardsley has also collected 82 senior caps for England and has represented Team GB at the Olympic Games.
Following her announcement, Bardsley said “It was obviously a pretty tough decision for me to make, but after a lot of deliberation and unfortunately being away from the pitch for quite a while now due to injury, it just felt like it was the right moment.
“As sad and strange as it is to be stepping away from something I’ve committed my entire young adult life to, ultimately it’s something I feel really proud of and I can honestly say, hand on heart, that I’ve left no stone unturned and I have no regrets about how I’ve applied myself and what I’ve achieved.
“I feel incredibly proud of my career, but ultimately I’m really excited about the next steps and what is to come in the future, and I’m just very much looking forward to giving back to the football community in many other ways.”
Manchester City will pay tribute to Bardsley ahead of their game against Birmingham City at The Academy Stadium on Wednesday.
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