Marissa Callaghan has voiced her "immense pride" after announcing her retirement from international football. The Cliftonville midfielder earned a total of 91 caps across 15 years.

Callaghan scored eight goals during that time after making her debut in a friendly against Scotland in May 2010. She first captained the team in June 2016 in a European Championship qualifier against Georgia.

The 39-year-old captained Northern Ireland at the 2022 Euro finals, the first time the country had ever qualified for a major tournament.

Callaghan - who was received an MBE for services to football and the community in The King’s New Year Honours list - said: “Putting on the green jersey is a feeling that you cannot explain, and it doesn’t matter whether it’s a friendly game, a game at the Euros or a competitive game.

“When you walk out onto that pitch and cross that white line, it’s just the feeling of immense pride. It’s an incredible feeling and I’m so thankful that I got to do that 91 times."

Callaghan - who works as a women’s and girls’ football administrator with the Irish FA Foundation, added: “As a player I’ve achieved more than I could ever imagine, as a person as well and as a coach. When I was younger, football did so much for me.

"I’m in the job that I’m in, I’ve got the incredible career that I’ve had in football. I’m me because of football.”

Callaghan's final appearance for Northern Ireland came in a 0-0 draw against Malta last April in the European Qualifiers phase of the UEFA Women’s Nations League.

She plans to continue coaching the future generation of young players in Northern Ireland, "on and off the pitch".

She said: “I just want to share my experience with people and if there is any advice or knowledge that I can give a young person who wants to play for Northern Ireland, who wants to reach their full potential, I want to be a voice for those young people’s heads to say ‘I can do this, I can be this, I can dream big and be who I want to be’.”

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