Former England goalkeeper Mary Earps mentioned she felt villainized after she introduced her retirement from worldwide soccer forward of the European Championship.
Earps turned a nationwide hero for her function in England’s victory on the final Euros in 2022 and its run to the World Cup closing a 12 months later.
However she has spoken out concerning the therapy she acquired when deciding to finish her England profession final month — simply weeks earlier than the staff begins its protection of the trophy in Switzerland.
Earps didn’t specify the place the criticism got here from, however mentioned it was “tough and it was painful” and that she was “villainized in a means.”
The 32-year-old Paris Saint-Germain keeper gained the celebrated BBC Sports activities Character of the Yr award after the World Cup, through which she collected the golden glove for the very best goalkeeper within the match and likewise saved a penalty within the closing.
On the time of her retirement, Earps mentioned she was stepping apart to provide a possibility to a youthful technology.
Chatting with the podcast “Fearne Cotton’s Comfortable Place,” she mentioned it was tough to see her family and friends coping with feedback made about her resolution.
“I do know you’ve seen one thing after which I’m like upset for them as a result of I’m like ‘You didn’t select this, you’ve obtained to now take care of this,’ and I’m then gutted for them,” she mentioned.