Magill named new Northern Ireland captain

Now with Birmingham City, striker Simone Magill moved to Everton as 16-year-old

Striker Simone Magill has been named the new captain of Northern Ireland before the Euro 2025 play-off with Croatia.

Magill succeeds midfielder Marissa Callaghan, who stepped back as captain in May.

The 29-year-old has won 85 caps and scored 25 goals.

Only record goalscorer Rachel Furness has netted more times for Northern Ireland than Magill, who made her debut as a 15-year-old in 2010.

Magill was key as Northern Ireland qualified for the Euro 2022 finals, but cruelly picked up a knee injury in their opening match with Norway.

She spent most of the first of her two seasons at Aston Villa recovering and signed for Birmingham City in the summer window.

Midfielder Callaghan, who was not included in the squad by manager Tanya Oxtoby, stepped back from her long-term role as captain in May - stating it was the "best decision" for the squad.

Defender Laura Rafferty had been handed the armband by Oxtoby on a regular basis but the Australian has now settled on Magill as her permanent skipper.

“From our point of view we have gone through a diligent process,” said the manager.

“We have really defined what leadership is and what behaviours leaders in our group should have and, essentially, Simone epitomises everything a leader is in terms of her professionalism and behaviour, and also the way that she looks at how we develop, which is a massive part of what we’re trying to do."

The first leg of the opening play-off round with Croatia takes place on Friday before the home leg at Windsor Park on Tuesday, 29 October.

Norway or Albania await the winner of the tie in the final play-off round in November with the victor then qualifying for the Euro 2025 finals.

Analysis - Magill will lead by example

The appointment of Simone Magill as captain is a surprising step, but a logical one.

It was unexpected in the sense that Rafferty had been wearing the armband since Callaghan stepped back from the role.

Rafferty is still likely to play a key leadership role for a youthful Northern Ireland side in the play-offs.

However, given Magill's credentials, it is not a huge shock that she has been appointed on a permanent basis.

She has been one of the leading figures in Northern Irish football for a long time and is a player who leads by example, both on and off the pitch.

After a difficult spell in the sport, where she admitted that she fell out of love with football and had to fight back from a cruel ACL injury, Magill has a renewed fire and hunger.

She has had a fresh start with her club at Birmingham City, and will relish the opportunity to lead a young and exciting group of players into this new era for Northern Ireland.