Former England goalkeeper Mary Earps felt ‘villainized’ after retirement

Former England goalkeeper Mary Earps said she felt villainized after she announced her retirement from international soccer ahead of the European Championship.

Earps became a national hero for her role in England’s victory at the last Euros in 2022 and its run to the World Cup final a year later.

But she has spoken out about the treatment she received when deciding to end her England career last month — just weeks before the team starts its defense of the trophy in Switzerland.

Earps did not specify where the criticism came from, but said it was “difficult and it was painful” and that she was “villainized in a way.”

The 32-year-old Paris Saint-Germain keeper won the prestigious BBC Sports Personality of the Year award after the World Cup, in which she collected the golden glove for the best goalkeeper in the tournament and also saved a penalty in the final.

At the time of her retirement, Earps said she was stepping aside to give an opportunity to a younger generation.

Speaking to the podcast “Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place,” she said it was difficult to see her friends and family dealing with comments made about her decision.

“I know you’ve seen something and then I’m like upset for them because I’m like ‘You didn’t choose this, you’ve got to now deal with this,’ and I’m then gutted for them,” she said.

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James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer