Former Northern Ireland captain announces international retirement after achieving 'more than I could ever imagine'
Former Northern Ireland captain Marissa Callaghan has announced her retirement from international football after achieving “more than I could ever imagine”.
The Cliftonville midfielder represented her country on 91 occasions, including 52 times as skipper over an eight-year period, after making a debut in 2010 and led Northern Ireland into their first-ever major tournament after securing qualification for the 2022 European Championships.
Callaghan was made an MBE for services to football and the community in The King’s New Year Honours list and will continue to be involved in the game through her role as a women’s and girls’ football administrator with the Irish FA Foundation.
“As a player I’ve achieved more than I could ever imagine, as a person as well and as a coach,” said Callaghan. “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.
“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.”
Callaghan’s final appearance for Northern Ireland came against Malta in the Nations League last April, where she captained during a goalless draw at Windsor Park.
She was included in Tanya Oxtoby’s squad for five subsequent Euro 2025 qualifiers but was an unused substitute in each game.
While Callaghan doesn’t have any concrete future plans at this moment in time, the 39-year-old wants to help develop and provide guidance for the next generation of Northern Irish stars.
“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,” she added. “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’.”