An emotional Rachel Corsie has confirmed that she will retire from football following Scotland’s fixtures against Austria and The Netherlands next week, bringing down the curtain on her long career at the top level of the women’s game.
Scotland captain Corsie, who will soon turn 36, battled back from a serious knee injury to feature for Aston Villa before the end of the season, and used these fixtures for the national side as motivation to return to full fitness as soon as she possibly could.
However, the 154-times capped star has reluctantly decided to call time on her career following this international camp, saying that the physical toll that injuries have taken on her body is the driving factor behind her decision.
“I was holding out because I was available for Scotland to be selected, but you obviously never know if you're going to be selected,” Corsie said.
“It's a decision that you put a lot of thought into. I've obviously had a really challenging year. My body, I think, has really wanted this to be my last year. My heart and my head have been stubborn and said I'm not quite ready.
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“I think probably getting back to playing at the end of the season was a really tough ambition and objective, but we got there. And for me, probably, I think I'm at a place where I feel like playing in WSL, playing international football, I think that is the highest level.
“And so, to be turning 36 in August and to know that I've got to this point playing at the highest level and I'm going to stop at that point, I think that feels the right place for me to do so.”
The latest knee problem that sidelined Corsie for eight months of the season proved the straw that broke the camel’s back.
“Over the course of my career, I've had a few significant injuries,” she said.
“I've had six surgeries in total, five on my left knee. This time around, I was sort of told by the surgeon that there was the option to have surgery, but the condition of my knee was fairly concerning and that surgery would potentially give some relief, but there's quite a serious likelihood that the damage that's been done over the course of my career is going to be impactful for the rest of my life.
“I think that's happened over time, but the moment I knew there was a specific injury that was going to keep me out, I wanted to do the surgery because I knew that I couldn't get back clean, leaving it as it was. You have this self-belief that you think, I've done it before, I can do it again.
“I basically was just in chronic pain all the time, like walking up and down stairs to the house, sitting in the car for periods of time, going to the toilet, getting in and out of the shower and having to climb out over the bath, all these little things. They're the day-to-day things that for me are now not normal.
“You kind of tolerate that in sport, when you go and do your training, you're willing to accept some level of pain and discomfort, but I think it's the rest of your day where it probably mentally impacts you more because there's no respite from it.”
Corsie drew warm words from new Scotland manager Melissa Andreatta as she called her up to her first squad since taking on the job of leading the SWNT, and Corsie says that the new adventure the national side are about to embark upon under the Australian’s charge has made her call to retire all the tougher.
“It's been the biggest motivator, that feeling of playing for Scotland and what it's meant to me all this time,” she said.
“It is without doubt the best thing I've ever done in my life, playing and getting to represent your country. There is nothing that I've experienced in sport that is like that. I'm only speaking for me but that's been something that I'll treasure and take with me for the rest of my life.
“I've thoroughly loved giving absolutely everything every time I get to play for Scotland.
“I think you know when you've given your all to something you know where it's at, you know the players that are coming through, you know the work that's being done.
“I will always have earned the caps I've earned and I'll always know that I've given everything, and now I just get to enjoy the games in whatever capacity they come.
“I'll always be willing to support and be an ally and be an advocate for whatever the team needs or wants that to be. If that's just me sitting in the stands every game then I'll be sitting in the stands every game cheering.
“It's just been such an incredible experience, including two major tournaments. Of course, we would have loved that to be a couple more, but I think that also makes the two we did make extra special because it's extremely hard for nations like Scotland in and around that ranking bracket trying to develop, trying to keep up with the top nations.
“There's something special about being Scottish and it's been the light that I've needed at times to keep going, to want to keep pushing.
“I'm just so delighted that I'm going to be included [for these games], I get to be involved, and I'm looking forward to it.”
