Dutch football player, Lieke Martens announces retirement

Lieke Martens kickstarted her footballing career in the Dutch Football Club, Herenveen. During the course of her club football career, she represented several clubs such as Standard Liège and Rosengård. Her big club move came in 2017 when she made a move to Spanish Club, Barcelona (FCB).

Lieke Martens became a key player for Barcelona in the five seasons she spent there. She went on to have a successful tenure at the club winning the Copa de la Reina in 2018, La Liga and the UEFA Women's Champions League in 2021. She left Barcelona to join PSG in 2022 where she retired from.

Lieke Martens won a total of 15 trophies across three countries. She also had tasted success with Netherlands, having won the Women's Euro in 2017 and being the runner-up at the 2019 World Cup.

Her performance earned her The Best FIFA Women's Player in 2017, becoming the first European awardee. In 2018 and 2019, Lieke was nominated for the Women's Ballon d'Or.

In a sport where women have struggled to gain recognition, Lieke Martens has been one of the gifted players who steered attention to Women's football. While her absence on field will be missed, her legacy will live on, beyond the perimeters of the stadium.

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