Shamrock Rovers and Republic of Ireland international Stephanie Zambra after announcing her decision to retire from football after her final game for Rovers this weekend
Stephanie Zambra has announced that she will retire from football after Shamrock Rovers’ final game of the season on Sunday.
Zambra earned 56 caps for Ireland, scoring 15 goals, and at club level she played in the United States, England, France and Italy, but most notably for Shamrock Rovers and Peamount United at home in Ireland.
It was at Peamount in 2013 when she scored a goal that was nominated for the illustrious FIFA Puskas award in 2014.
Zambra was the first female player to be nominated for such an honour, and finished second in the vote behind James Rodriguez, earning 33 pc of the vote.
The Shankhill native has played a pivotal role in the advancement of women’s football in Ireland on and off the pitch.
She participated in the landmark 2017 press conference at Liberty Hall, voicing the need for better support for the women’s game, a moment that was a driving force for change.
Announcing her retirement in a post on Instagram, Zambra said: “Thanks for the memories, the friendships and the opportunities. It’s been some journey.
“Playing football is all I’ve ever wanted to do. Growing up, I always had a ball at my feet and dreamt of pulling on the Ireland jersey and thankfully, i got to do that on 58 occasions and every single appearance was special.
“I want to thank all of my team-mates, coaches and officials from every team i was involved with. I can honestly say I’ve made some friends for life through football and those friendships are something I will cherish forever.
“Lastly, I hope that I’ve been able to inspire girls and show that dreams can come true with a bit of luck, a lot of persistence and the self belief that you are good enough to become the best version of yourself”.