For all football and Betway fans out there, here is some news that you wouldn’t like. On January 15, Eniola Aluko announced her retirement from professional football through a heartfelt letter. The letter addressed to the beloved sport itself, touches upon the many changes football brought to her life and bids goodbye to her illustrious career that spanned 15 years.
Aluko began her football career back in 2011 with Birmingham City. She has played as a striker for England, Chelsea as well as Juventus.
Aluko has been part of many crucial matches, including multiple World Cups and European Championships. In the 2012 Olympics, Aluko played forward for the Great Britain football team. This match proved to be a game-changer as the general public began to show interest in female football for the first time.
Aluko’s 8-year stint at Chelsea also gave her many achievements, and she was chosen as their player of the year in 2015. Moreover, she remains Chelsea’s all-time top scorer till date. On Betway, people loved her, and bid on her matches at https://betwaythailand.net many times.
In Juventus, her presence is weighed alongside legendary male players such as Christiano Ronaldo and Paulo Dybala.
The 32-year-old striker born in Nigeria has pioneered huge strides in women’s professional football. She has won 102 England caps, one of only 10 other women who have achieved this fete. Moreover, she is the first British-African woman to win more than 100 caps.
In 2014, Aluko became the first female pundit for Match of The Day.
Aluko has had a number of disputes with the Football Association during her career. The most famous one being in 2016, when she alleged charges of racism against the England team coach Mark Sampson.
Even at a tender age, Aluko has never hesitated to speak out on issues of gender and race in professional football. As far back as 2007, she had called out the Football Association on the low payment of women.
At a time when women’s professional football was virtually unheard of, Aluko managed to carve a niche for herself. Not only as a sportswoman, but she also excels as a lawyer. An achiever both on and off the field, Aluko is a role model and inspiration to girls all over the world.
She may have hung up her boots for now, but her trail-blazing career from the age of 17 has left irreplaceable imprints behind in the football field. Though not from the field, she will continue to fight for women in football. Aluko intends to focus more on the media side of football from now on and advocate women’s issues further.
Eniola Aluko is the champion and much-needed voice for female football. In Aluko’s own words, her retirement is not the end of her story but only a new chapter. Here is hoping that her vision for female football comes true in the future.