Mary Earps announces retirement from England squad

England goalkeeper Mary Earps has announced her retirement from international football.

The 32-year-old said it had been the greatest honour and privilege of her life to wear the England badge and represent her country.

England manager Sarina Wiegman said she was "disappointed" by Earps' decision, having hoped she would play at Euro 2025 in Switzerland this summer.

Earps played an important role in the England side that won Euro 2022 and reached the 2023 World Cup final.

Let's take a look at some of her other career highlights over the years.

Euro 2022 winner

Earps first started playing football around the age of eight.

"My brother and my dad were kicking a ball around in the garden and I wanted to join in because it looked fun," she recalled.

She joined her local team and then at the age of 14, Earps started playing for Leicester City after taking part in trials for the club.

She made her WSL debut for Doncaster at 17 and first played for the England senior team in 2017.

However, it wasn't until Sarina Wiegman was appointed manager for the Lionesses four years later, that she became England's first-choice goalkeeper.

Earps started every game at Euro 2022 as England became European Champions, making a number of key saves throughout the tournament.

The incredible win was the first time an English senior side had won a major trophy in more than 50 years.

Golden Glove award

Earps was selected as England vice-captain during the 2023 Women's World Cup in 2023 in Australia and New Zealand.

The Lionesses has a fantastic tournament, making it all the way to the final for the first time in their history, where they finished as runners-up, losing 1-0 to Spain.

Earps certainly lived up to her nickname, Mary Queen of Stops, playing in all of England's seven matches and conceding just four goals across all games.

The result meant she was named best goalkeeper of the tournament, winning the Golden Glove award.

Sports Personality of the Year 2023

Her huge year didn't stop there.

After returning from the World Cup, she also picked up England Women's Player of the Year and voted BBC Women's Footballer of the Year.

She was also crowned the best goalkeeper in the women's game for a second year in a row - becoming the first two-time winner of the Fifa Best Goalkeeper award in history.

In December 2023 she added another award to her large collection - the prestigious BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award.

The winner is the sportsperson people think has achieved the most that year, voted for by the public.

"It feels pretty great off the back of a couple of really big years and 2023 has been wild in ways I couldn't expect," Earps said as she collected the award.

"I'm really, really grateful," she added.

Mary Earps MBE

In May 2024, Earps was awarded an MBE - Member of the Order of the British Empire - in the New Year Honours list.

She was presented the award by the Prince of Wales during a ceremony at Windsor Castle, to recognise her amazing achievements and service to the country through sport.

After receiving her MBE, Earps called the whole experience "incredible".

A month later, she announced that she was leaving Manchester United after five years at the club and that she had signed for French club Paris St-Germain (PSG).

Retirement from international football

Earps made 53 senior appearances over eight years for England.

Announcing her retirement on social media, Earps explained that it was the "right time" to step aside and "give the younger generation an opportunity to thrive".

She said that it had been the "greatest honour and privilege" of her life to wear the England badge and represent the country.

"Winning the Euros in 2022 was the best day of my life, and I'm rooting for the girls to do it again this summer," she added.

England, along with Wales, have qualified for Euro 2025 which takes place in Switzerland from 2 to 27 July.