Northern Ireland’s record goalscorer Furness retires

Rachel Furness, Northern Ireland’s record goalscorer, has announced her retirement from football.

At club level, the 36-year-old played for a number of sides in England including Sunderland, Reading, Tottenham, Liverpool, Bristol City and Newcastle United.

After making her international debut in 2005, the midfielder won 95 caps and scored 38 goals for Northern Ireland.

Furness played a key role in NI’s qualification for the Euro 2022 finals – the country’s first major women’s tournament.

Her final Northern Ireland appearance came away to Hungary in the Nations League in October 2023, although she was recently recalled in April’s international window and was part of the squad for Nations League matches with Poland and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

In a video posted on the Northern Ireland X account that shows Furness speaking to her international team-mates, she said: “I’ve had 20 fantastic years. Coming in as a 16-year-old to now, it’s been an absolute blast.

“The progress I’ve seen, especially over the past couple of years, has been fantastic.”

Fighting back tears, Furness added: “Whether I’ve been in it or out of it, I’ve been the biggest fan. Everyone has stories and this is part of my chapter. I’m going on to a new chapter now which I’m really excited for.

Born in Newcastle and qualifying for Northern Ireland through her mother and grandfather, Furness made her senior international debut as a teenager in 2005 – shortly after the team had been reformed.

Furness was integral to Northern Ireland’s historic qualification for Euro 2022, scoring five goals, and her dedication to her country was showcased in the play-off first leg in Ukraine.

After scoring the opening goal, she attempted to play on despite sustaining what turned out to be a broken leg. In the second leg, she was there heading every ball and cheering every tackle while on crutches on the sidelines.

She recovered and became Northern Ireland’s record goalscorer in November 2021 when she netted twice in a World Cup qualifying win over North Macedonia at Seaview.

Furness played in all three matches at the European Championship, delayed a year by Covid, providing the assist for Julie Nelson’s famous header against Norway in Southampton.

She stepped away from international duty following the tournament, which she later revealed in an emotional interview to BBC Sport NI was to look after her mental health.

She made a long-awaited return to the squad away to Wales the following April, and her last cap came in Hungary in October 2023 as injuries limited her involvement.

However, her standing was still clear when she was drafted in as a last-minute call up for April’s game at home to Romania, providing crucial experience in a young squad, and she retained her place for the concluding fixtures in the Women’s Nations League campaign.

In paying tribute, Northern Ireland boss Tanya Oxtoby said Furness has been “the ultimate professional”.

“The respect she’s shown, and her ability to always put the team first, speaks volumes about her character,” said Oxtoby.

After starting her club career at Sunderland, Furness had a stint a Newcastle United, where she recovered from a serious knee injury before she spent a summer in Iceland with Grindavik in 2010.

Returning to England with Sunderland, she won the Premier League Nations Division title over six years at the club.

When Sunderland reverted to part-time status, Furness moved on to Reading in 2017 and had a loan spell at Tottenham Hotspur.

The most successful stint of her club career, which also aligned with Northern Ireland’s historic spell, came when she signed for Liverpool in 2019.

Furness helped Liverpool back to the top flight in 2023 and made it back-to-back Championship titles when she played an integral role in Bristol City’s promotion the following season.

However, her dream had always been to play for her childhood club, Newcastle, and she signed a one-year deal in July.

With injuries limiting her minutes and Tanya Oxtoby’s youthful approach, Furness’ news is not entirely unexpected but does signal the latest changing of the guard for Northern Ireland.

However, just like when Marissa Callaghan announced her retirement, it is sad to see another of Northern Ireland’s history-making Euro 2022 squad call time on their time in green.

As a player, Furness will be remembered as a fearless competitor who made history by becoming the record goalscorer for her country.

One of the most important strikes was in the historic Euro 2022 play-off first leg in Ukraine, when she netted the opening goal before she tried to play on after sustaining a broken leg. That sums up her dedication to her country.

Away from her goals, one of the standout memories of Furness is her dancing around with her crutches in the air after the play-off win over Ukraine.

Furness also had a huge impact off the pitch, and her openness about her mental health struggles were inspiring as she encouraged other players to be open about their feelings and to stand up for their beliefs.