Lewes midfielder Zoë Cross has announced her retirement from playing elite football at the age of just 24.
The player made the announcement via a post on her personal Twitter account yesterday.
Cross has spent the last one-and-a-half seasons playing in the FA Women’s Championship with Lewes after joining the club on a free transfer in January 2021. The midfielder has made 16 appearances for The Rookettes in the second tier with 10 of those outings coming as starts. Cross was an unused substitute for Craig Gill’s side as they recorded an impressive 2-1 victory over Liverpool at The Dripping Pan on Sunday.
The midfielder started her career with Brighton & Hove Albion before joining Chelsea’s academy. She was named on the bench on a couple of occasions at senior level for The Blues. Cross then spent a lengthy period in the United States, combining playing football with her studies at the University of Missouri before returning to the English game with Lewes.
Cross’ greatest career achievement arguably came in 2018 when she was a member of the England Under-20 team which finished third at the FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup. The midfielder was a member of a star-studded England squad which included the likes of Ellie Roebuck, Georgia Stanway, Alessia Russo and Lauren Hemp.
Cross has not confirmed her plans for the future, although she is set to pursue other career options.
There will never be the right or enough words to describe what football means to me. I feel like it’s the right time for me to hang up my boots and I want to say a massive thank you to my friends and family who have sacrificed so much to allow me to chase my dream 🙏 pic.twitter.com/hf8xHdgXpY
— Zoë Cross (@crosz002) May 3, 2022