England Lionesses: Laura Bassett announces retirement
- Published
Laura Bassett (left) playing for Canberra in Australia's W-League in January 2018
Former England defender Laura Bassett, who made 61 appearances for her country, has announced her retirement.
The 35-year-old played for a number of Women's Super League clubs, including Birmingham City and Chelsea.
Bassett began her career at Coventry in 2000 and most recently played for W-League's Canberra United in early 2018.
"It has been a privilege to play a tiny part in Lioness history and to have experienced the progression of women's football in England," she said.
"I am beyond proud to belong to the Lioness alumni.
"I have been fortunate to win silverware throughout my career and be part of wonderfully talented teams."
Bassett, whose partner is Orlando Pride manager Marc Skinner, gave birth to a daughter in December 2018.
The centre-back will be partially remembered by England supporters for scoring an injury-time own goal in the semi-finals of the 2015 World Cup, which gifted a 2-1 win to Japan.
But Nuneaton-born Bassett recovered from her error to go on to further represent England at the European Championships in 2017, where England again reached the semi-finals.
In an open letter, external announcing her retirement, Bassett appeared to address the own-goal, referring to it as a time football "dragged me to my knees and rocked me to the core".
Bassett said: "I doubted whether I would trust you [football] again but you allowed me to confront my human nature.
"I look back at my 31-year-old self and I am so proud of the courage I displayed."
Women's World Cup 2019: Laura Bassett's freak own goal from 2015