Celia Sasic, one of the most pivotal German women to put on her country’s shirt, has announced her retirement from football at the age of 27. Her efforts during the 2015 Women’s World Cup has earned her the title of top scorer in the competition. Her match against the Ivory Coast during the group stages was enough to convince anyone that they would have won the whole competition had the USA not burst their dream.
Upon her retirement, Celia Sasic has won 111 caps with 63 goals between them. On her Facebook page Sasic reported that it is time for her to move on to a new path and end her career in football to pursue studies and start a family.
Celia Sasic outside of her national team role in Germany. Photo: @nikhak | Twitter
Her announcement came as a surprise to the national team coach Silvia Neid who said, “I regret Celia’s decision, but she also understands that football is not everything in life and there always comes a moment in life when you need to focus on other priorities.”
“It’s a real loss for us because Celia is major character who leaves big boots to fill”, Neid continued to say. She is absolutely correct. Sasic’s contribution to women’s football in Germany, and of the world, is invaluable and will continue to be looked at through the years. As for her replacement, Anja Mittag follows close behind Sasic on goals but will really have to step up to fill the leadership role her fellow striker possessed.
Celia Sasic joins Abby Wambach and Lauren Holiday of the USA, as well as Homare Sawa of Japan to announce their retirements from international duties.
