Steph Houghton has announced her plans to retire from professional football at the end of the current season with Manchester City bidding to win the WSL.
The 35-year-old is part of the City side that sit level with Chelsea at the top of the table in a tense title battle.
She sits seventh on the all-time list for most capped players among Lioness players having made 121 appearances for her country.
Houghton captained England for eight years between 2014 and 2022 and led her country to a third-place finish at the 2015 Women's World Cup.
Steph Houghton will retire at the end of the season
GETTY
She last played for the Lionesses in 2021 and has now announced she'll bring her professional career to an end at the culmination of the current WSL season.
Houghton wrote on her personal website: "There is no easy way to say it, but I am retiring from football at the end of the current WSL season.
"Taking the decision to retire, is such a difficult thing to do. Whilst age comes to every player, it makes it no easier having to say the words out loud. Football has been my life; my passion and I have loved the career I have had.
"I would like to thank every teammate I have ever played with; I have continued to learn every day and appreciate the support each has given me and the friendships I have made along the way. To my managers, coaches and all the staff that I have worked with and under, I appreciate the time, effort and work you have dedicated to improving my game and the standards of women’s football.
"It has been an honour and a privilege to represent Sunderland, Leeds Utd, Arsenal and to have been on the incredible journey that I have been on, with Manchester City over the past ten years.
"I will always be humbled to have made so many domestic appearances, to have captained my country and to have represented England and Team GB in so many international tournaments. I will always be very proud of everything that I have achieved in the game.
"To all the fans, I have never taken your support for granted. The special feeling of hearing ‘Super Steph’ will forever live with me.
"Whilst I have been lucky to have had special moments on the pitch, it gives me a lot of satisfaction what the game has achieved off the pitch during my career.
"The game has moved so quickly from amateur to professional over the last twenty years. I thank the trailblazers that came before me, for your perseverance and commitment to effecting change for my generation.
"I hope that I leave the game in a better place than when I started, and that I have contributed in some small way to giving the girls of tomorrow a better future in football."
Steph Houghton is hoping to help Manchester City win the WSL title in her final season
GETTY
Houghton went on to praise the support of her husband, Stephen Darby, who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2018.
She added: "My biggest thanks, appreciation and love belongs to my husband and inspiration, Stephen, my mam, my dad, my brother Stuart, the rest of my family, Matthew Buck, and all my closest friends for your love, guidance, understanding and support – it has been my constant.
"I am excited for whatever comes next but, in the meantime, I remain focused on giving everything I have left for Manchester City, over the next two months."
LATEST SPORT NEWS:
Houghton pushed her husband in a wheelchair on a 178-mile walk to raise awareness for the debilitating disease this past week.
The long trek was started on Friday at Bradford City's Valley Parade stadium - where Darby spent five years of his playing career - before ending at Anfield.
Darby was joined by former Bristol City forward Marcus Stewart, who has also been diagnosed with motor neurone disease, and the walk helped raise £130,000 for the cause.