Ex-England defender Toni Duggan retires aged 33

Former England defender Toni Duggan has retired after a 17-year career, amassing 79 caps for her country and playing in the biggest domestic cup finals.

The 33-year-old began her career with Everton aged 16 during the 2007-08 season, where she collected the PFA Young Player of the Year award.

The defender was a part of the England side that reached the 2015 World Cup semifinal -- the first time the Lionesses had advanced beyond the quarterfinals of a global tournament. She was also part of the squad that reached the semifinals of Euro 2017.

At club level, Duggan went on to play for Manchester City before making the landmark move to Barcelona in 2017, becoming the first English footballer to join the club since Gary Lineker in 1986. She reached the Champions League final with the Catalans before moving to Atlético Madrid in 2019.

"I always knew I wanted to play football. [People] said I couldn't because it wasn't professional -- but I wanted to be a footballer," she told BBC Sport.

"To have those trophies and memories is nice. But the fact I can walk away and say I did it my way, had fun, competed in everything and had great support, just gives me memories to last forever."

In a move that would be her last, the Liverpool-born player returned to Merseyside to finish her career. She returned to Everton in 2021, featuring in 22 games in her first season back but missed the entirety of the 2022-23 season after announcing she was pregnant with her daughter, Luella.

Returning to make a handful of appearances in the 2023-24 season, Duggan decided to hang up her boots, telling The Guardian that she is proud to have played a part in "changing the perception of women's football in this country."