French midfielder Gaëtane Thiney to end her 25-year career after this season

PARIS (AP) - Gaëtane Thiney, who scored 58 goals in 163 matches with France, took part in three World Cups and contributed to the emergence of women’s soccer in the country, will retire at the end of the season.

The 39-year-old Thiney has a chance to call it quits on a high note as her Paris FC club will take on Paris Saint-Germain in the French Cup final next month.

"Every story has an end, and mine as a top-level player will come to an end in 2025, before opening a new chapter in my life," said Thiney, who is still chasing a first major title. "It's not yet time to say goodbye, but rather to savor every moment, to continue to dream and to give everything until the last match with this passion that has never left me."

Thiney, an attacking midfielder who was named the league’s best player in 2011-12 and 2013-14, played her first match in the topflight when she was just 14.

With France, she played at the 2012 Olympic Games, and featured at the 2011, 2015, and 2019 World Cups.

"Soccer has been my driving force, my obsession, my daily challenge and my school of life," she said on her social networks. "Indescribable joys, challenges met, unforgettable encounters and memories engraved forever."

Thiney, who also enjoyed a short stint in the United States with Gotham FC in 2021, told L’Equipe she is "very proud" of her achievements.

"I've been at a high level for 25 years, I’m going to have to reorganize a bit" she said.