English female national football team player of Ghanaian descent Anita Asante has called it quits from the game at the age of 37.
The Aston Villa defender officially announced on her birthday (Today April 26) that she won’t be playing again when the season ends after nearly two decades on the field.
“I had decided quite early on when I took this contract at Villa that I was prepared to play two more years. I’ve very much enjoyed the whole experience, even the difficult parts of it, but I always knew at some point it’s all going to come to an end and I kind of want to be in control of that. I get to decide. Not every athlete gets that choice.” Asante stated when announcing her retirement.
“I feel that I could probably compete another year, totally. But it’s nice to finish feeling like I’m playing well and enjoying the experience. Also, you can deal with the creaks and the niggles to a point but ultimately you don’t want it getting too bad either. So, it’s also about managing that and preserving that part of myself and my body for what’s to come in the future.”
Born in London, Asante also previously played for Arsenal as well as Chelsea and has been capped 71 times by England scoring twice since 2004.
