Dutch football player, Lieke Martens announces retirement

Paris Saint-Germain forward, Lieke Martens has retired from professional football. The Dutch player, had retired from her national team in 2024 with 160 caps. The 32 year old announced her decision on Monday saying that she wanted to focus on her 6 month old son, Lowen.

Footballer Lieke Martens has retired from professional football

Lieke Martens had already retired from international football in 2024, saying goodbye to the Netherlands National Football Team. On September 1, the legendary forward announced her retirement from professional football altogether.

In a heartfelt post on Instagram, Lieke Martens talked about her journey as a professional footballer- a dream that is not easy to achieve for women. "As a little girl, I dreamed of becoming a professional footballer, something that barely even existed at the time", she wrote.

Lieke shared that she has taken the decision despite having "great opportunities to continue". The post also contained a beautiful carousel of pictures that highlighted her journey as a young footballer to one of the most successful female footballers in the world.

Talking about her experience playing across clubs and her national team, Lieke Martens shared, "Every match, every moment on the pitch is a memory I will cherish forever".

The Dutch footballer also thanked her family, friends, teammates, staff and fans for supporting her through thick and thin. She shared that she felt it was the right time to retire because she wanted to prioritise being a mother to her 6 month old son.

"Now, the time feels right to take this decision. My greatest priority is to be the best mother I can be to Lowen and I am excited to embrace all that lies ahead", Lieke wrote in her post.

Lieke Martens kickstarted her footballing career in the Dutch Football Club, Herenveen. During the course of her club football career, she represented several clubs such as Standard Liège and Rosengård. Her big club move came in 2017 when she made a move to Spanish Club, Barcelona (FCB).

Lieke Martens became a key player for Barcelona in the five seasons she spent there. She went on to have a successful tenure at the club winning the Copa de la Reina in 2018, La Liga and the UEFA Women's Champions League in 2021. She left Barcelona to join PSG in 2022 where she retired from.

Lieke Martens won a total of 15 trophies across three countries. She also had tasted success with Netherlands, having won the Women's Euro in 2017 and being the runner-up at the 2019 World Cup.

Her performance earned her The Best FIFA Women's Player in 2017, becoming the first European awardee. In 2018 and 2019, Lieke was nominated for the Women's Ballon d'Or.

In a sport where women have struggled to gain recognition, Lieke Martens has been one of the gifted players who steered attention to Women's football. While her absence on field will be missed, her legacy will live on, beyond the perimeters of the stadium.

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