Fran Kirby follows Mary Earps out of England door with retirement confirmed

Fran Kirby has become the second Lioness to retire from England duty in a few days as she has confirmed her decision to stop playing as she knows it’s the “right time.”

On May 27, England goalkeeper Mary Earps announced her decision to retire from Lionesses duty. She angered Sarina Wiegman with the timing – just ahead of her Euros squad announcement.

That squad announcement has claimed a victim, as after being told by Wiegman that she wouldn’t be in it, Kirby has decided it’s time to hang up her boots in international football.

The forward played more than 70 times for England, and was planning to retire internationally after the Euros, but Wiegman’s squad decision has brought that forward.

“Once you get to a point in your career, you just know that the timing is right,” Kirby told ESPN.

“I think obviously it’s a decision that I’ve thought about for a while. There are many factors to be honest. I think mentally being at the age I am at and being here for 11 years, you get to a point, you know, enough is enough. You need to look after yourself and maybe prioritise my body and prolong my career.

“When I had the conversation with Sarina and, you know, she laid her plans out for the Euros, and she told me I wasn’t going unless someone got injured, I knew it was the moment where I’d outstayed my welcome.

“I don’t want to take the opportunity away from someone who can learn and to then set them up for the future. And I just didn’t want to be waiting around every day of keeping that faint hope going just in case I was going to get a chance. I don’t think that would’ve been fair on my head either.

“I’m not embarrassed by this at all. I gave absolutely everything at the beginning of the year, you know, I’ve given everything my whole career and I’m OK with Sarina’s decision because at the end of the day, it just wasn’t enough. I’m okay with that as I know I gave absolutely everything.”

Kirby has admitted she knows it’s the “right time” to go, and has felt it might have been coming.

“Everyone is aware of everything that’s happened in my career with my body, and the injuries. I’ve seen the jokes on social media about how I get injured all the time. I think once you kind of had that for such a long period of time, you know that the time is coming. And yeah, I just didn’t want to overstay my welcome,” she said.

“I wanted to retire knowing that there’s still a little bit more that I could give. I’ve been here fighting every day and doing all I could to prove I am good enough. I had a good domestic season with Brighton and I can walk out with my head held high knowing that I gave everything and I would hate to leave in any other circumstances.”

READ MORE: Mary Earps makes shock decision to quit England with Sarina Wiegman ‘angered’