Two of the most influential and successful English players in the last decade have announced they are hanging up their boots following European success.
Jill Scott and Ellen White announced their retirements over social media through the week, after both were crucial to England’s Euro 2022 triumph last month.
It is hard to find two players in the game who are more hard working or more professional than these two, and I was enormously fortunate to share a changing room with both and enjoyed that first-hand.
White scored 52 goals in her 113 games for her country, which makes her the second most prolific goal scorer for England, just one behind Wayne Rooney. Her seven goal World Cup tally also makes her England’s all-time female record goal scorer.
The accolades continued at club level, where she won every competition between her time spent at both Arsenal and Manchester City.
Our time shared was at Notts County in 2014, where sadly we didn’t get to enjoy as much time on the pitch due to Ellen sustaining a cruciate knee injury at the end of pre-season, which ruled her out for the entirety of it.
However, that gave me the greatest insight into someone who has the character and drive that can still inspire anyone to this day.
I can remember our first ever session together, it was a Tuesday night at a high school in Doncaster. It was where we trained to help accommodate the players who were not full-time back then – how things have grown.
Her work ethic and relentlessness stood out and looking back it makes me really grateful for the time we shared, as well as extremely happy to see the great success she has fought so hard for.
Thank You Football… pic.twitter.com/WmeDGeX9zT
— Ellen White (@ellsbells89) August 22, 2022
The decision to retire will have been one that took much deliberation, and as someone who has been married to the discipline of being an elite performer, her husband Callum will likely be looking forward to having to share her a little less.
‘The poem-writer, part-timer joker and first to put the kettle on’
Announcing her retirement only days later, Jill Scott leaves the game with her smile shining as big as ever. She’s a player everyone in the game has something positive to say and is another wonderful example of professionalism and ambition.
Experiencing 10 major tournaments and racking up 161 games for England, she scored 27 goals and also won every domestic competition during her 10 seasons at Manchester City.
You’d think her accolades would be how she would be better known, but she prefers to humbly be remembered as the poem-writer, part-timer joker and first to put the kettle on.
I first “met” Jill when she towered over me in 2005 when we faced one another during a youth international match. I feel I have followed and looked up to her ever since, and in the last six months our changing room seats were side-by-side as I returned home to the UK and she joined Villa on loan from Manchester City.
Those days will now be dearly cherished as she closes one door in her footballing journey, with almost everyone hoping she continues to stay in the game.
Chelsea rally round Ann-Katrin Berger
Chelsea and Germany goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger, confirms that she will begin treatment for thyroid cancer this week.
The 2020/21 WSL Golden Glove winner and three time WSL Champion announced that her cancer had returned following four years since she finished her treatment after first being diagnosed back in 2017.
The goalkeeper will remain in London under the guidance of the club’s medical team and will be treated at a specialist London clinic.
SWPL 1 representation in the Champions League continues
Rangers are through to round two of the UWCL after a 4-0 rout of PAOK in their second fixture in Greece. The side won both their round one matches, which were part of a mini-tournament style format.
It is the club’s first time in the Women’s Champions League, after they disappointingly missed out completely in 2021 after finishing third in the league standings behind Glasgow City and Celtic.
As SWPL 1 winners they enter via the “Champions Path”, which gave them a reasonable chance of progressing if they performed, and that they did.
Nicola Docherty gave them the early into the second-half and that was then added to by Hannah Davison and Lizzie Arnot, with an own goal accounting for other goal in the impressive result.
😍 That winning feeling…
⚡️ We progressed to Round 2 of the Champions League following another outstanding performance in Greece.#UWCL | @UWCL pic.twitter.com/8Dvx3RbtFq
— Rangers Women (@RangersWFC) August 23, 2022
The feat is worthy of celebration, as many top sides exited in the same week.
Glasgow City, Anderlecht, FC Twente and Eintracht Frankfurt were all dumped out more prematurely than expected, with the most striking result coming from Madrid, where Real once again shattered any hopes of Manchester City having European success.
The stage was set for Caroline Weir to face her former club, who mysteriously let her depart in the summer following the end of her contract. Anyone who wasn’t sure if that would be a naïve decision might now be seeing more clearly the void she leaves in that City midfield.
The 1-0 victory ended up being the perfect night for Weir, whose goal in the 15th minute ensured she can look forward to more Champions League nights in front of a home support that already looks to love her.
Meanwhile, winless Aberdeen head to Glasgow this weekend to face City. The Dons have had a tough start but a result this weekend could be crucial in changing the momentum.
