Former Northern Ireland captain Marissa Callaghan has retired from international football.
The 39-year-old Cliftonville midfielder won 91 caps for her country, scoring eight goals and wearing the captain’s armband 52 times.
She made her international debut in a friendly against Scotland in May 2010 before captaining the team at Euro 2022 in England, Northern Ireland women’s first-ever major tournament. Callaghan was not returned to the squad since she was dropped by manager Tanya Oxtoby in October 2024.
The Irish FA employee was awarded an MBE for services to football and the community in The King’s New Year Honours list.
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Callaghan said: “Putting on the green jersey is a feeling that you cannot explain, and it doesn’t matter whether it’s a friendly game, a game at the Euros or a competitive game.
“When you walk out onto that pitch and cross that white line, it’s just the feeling of immense pride. It’s an incredible feeling and I’m so thankful that I got to do that 91 times.”
And the former national team skipper, who works as a women’s and girls’ football administrator with the Irish FA Foundation, added: “As a player I’ve achieved more than I could ever imagine, as a person as well and as a coach.
“When I was younger, football did so much for me. I’m in the job that I’m in, I’ve got the incredible career that I’ve had in football. I’m me because of football.”
Callaghan also revealed that she is determined to be heavily involved in football, through her work and beyond.
She said: “What I do know is that I will continue to coach young players because I feel like I have so much to give them – on the pitch and off the pitch.
“I just want to share my experience with people and if there is any advice or knowledge that I can give a young person who wants to play for Northern Ireland, who wants to reach their full potential, I want to be a voice for those young people’s heads to say ‘I can do this, I can be this, I can dream big and be who I want to be’.”