Lieke Martens Has Announced the End of Her Football Career On Monday. The 32-year-old Forward Grew Into An Icon of Women’s Football and is Now Prioritizing Motherhood.
“It feels like the right moment to make this decision. My biggest priority is to be the best mother I can be for lowen and I’M excited to embrace everything that lies ahead,” She Writes on Instagram.
Martens Already Said Goodbye To The Orange Squad In June Last Year and Announced a Few Months later That She was pregnant. Last February, She and Her Husband (and Former Ajax Goalkeeper) Benjamin van Leer Welcomed Their Son Lowen.
The 32-Year-Old Martens was under contract with Paris Saint-Germain Until Last Summer. The Limburg Player Indicated Last Summer at the European Championship That She was Doubting the Continuation of Her Career.
“Everything has to be perfect if i want to continue playing football,” Said Martens. “I don’t know if perfect picture will come. There are sacrifices, but the priorities have changed,” She Told the Nos .
Martens Best Player in the World in 2017
Martens can look back on a brilliant career. She Experienced Her Breakthrough In 2017 When She Became European Champion with Orange in Her Own Country. In that year she was also voted best player in the world. In 2019, She Reached the World Cup Final With Orange, which was Lost to the United States.
In Total, Martens Played 160 Times for the Dutch National Team, in which She Grew Into An Icon of Women’s Football. Martens Said Goodbye to Orange on June 4, 2024 with a 1-1 draw in Finland. That turns out to be the last match. A Few Days Earlier, She Received a Grand Farewell at Her Last Home Game for Orange.
Before PSG, Martens Played for FC Barcelona for Five Years. Previously, She Played for SC Heerenveen, VVV Venlo, Standard Liège, FCR 2001 Duisburg, BK Häcken and FC Rosengård.