USA Women star Carli Lloyd retires after 16-year football career
USA Women’s second-most capped player Carli Lloyd calls time on her 16-year football career after winning two World Cups and becoming a double Olympic champion
- Lloyd is the second-most capped women’s international footballer of all time
- The 39-year-old has won two World Cups as well as two Olympic gold medals
- The iconic midfielder and forward will play her final games September-October
- Find out the latest Tokyo Olympic news including schedule, medal table and results right here
Carli Lloyd, one of the greatest players to ever grace women’s football, has announced her retirement, U.S. Soccer revealed on Monday.
The 39-year-old is the second-most capped player in football history with a remarkable 312, placing her behind compatriot Kristine Lilly, who has 354.
She was also twice named the FIFA Women’s Player of the Year across a long and glittering career including two Women’s World Cups and two Olympic gold medals.
USA Women’s footballer Carli Lloyd (lifting trophy) announced her retirement from the game
‘When I first started out with the national team in 2005, my two main goals were to be the most complete soccer player I could be and to help the team win championships,’ said former USA captain Lloyd.
‘Every single day I stepped out onto the field, I played as if it was my last game. I never wanted to take anything for granted, especially knowing how hard it is to get to the top, but even harder to stay at the top for so long.’
Lloyd has scored 128 international goals, making her the fourth-highest all-time scorer for her country, and is fifth on the assists list with 64.
U.S. Soccer will soon announce four friendly matches for the women’s national team – two in September and two in October – which will serve as Lloyd’s final games in a U.S. shirt.
Lloyd won two Olympic gold medals and two World Cups across a 16-year international career
She scored the winner against Australia to help her side secure bronze in Tokyo this summer
Lloyd will also play the remainder of the National Women’s Soccer League 2021 season with NJ/NY Gotham FC before calling time on her professional club career, which has spanned 12 years and six teams.
USA Women’s coach Vlatko Andonovski said: ‘Her career was unique, and her success on the field is something all current and future National Team players should aspire to achieve.
‘The way she approached her everyday training and career as a professional is truly impressive and I’ve been honoured to coach her.’
She was known as a ‘clutch player’ for her ability to score vital goals, netting in all three Olympic medal matches she played in and became only the second footballer, after Geoff Hurst, to score a hat-trick in a World Cup Final against Japan in 2015.
The 39-year-old is the second-most capped footballer of all time with 312 for the USA team
The second of that 17-minute treble was an outrageous strike from midfield, one of the most famous goals in women’s football history, and made it 4-0 in a game USA won 5-2, helping her secure the Golden Ball award for the tournament’s best player.
She also scored the winner in gold medal matches at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics in Beijing and London respectively, and repeated the feat in the bronze medal match against Australia in Tokyo this summer.
Lloyd added: ‘Through all the goals, the trophies, the medals and the championships won, what I am most proud of is that I’ve been able to stay unapologetically me.
‘My journey has been hard, but I can honestly say I’ve stayed true to myself, to my team-mates, my coaches, the media and the fans throughout my entire career and that is what I am most proud of.’
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