Record-breaking former Leeds United and England star retires from football

On Monday, the 33-year-old took to social media to announce her decision to stop playing just weeks after she lifted the European Championship trophy with England at Wembley.

With 52 goals, White ends her career as the top England scorer of all time, having broken Kelly Smith’s previous record of 46 with a hat-trick against Latvia in November last year.

Throughout her career, the Buckinghamshire-born player has been a prolific bagsman and netted a huge 17 goals in 24 appearances for the Whites in the late noughties.

The highlight of her two-season stint with the West Yorkshire club, which was disrupted by a cruciate ligament injury, was scoring a match-winning brace for Leeds against Everton in the final of the 2010 league cup.

White was one of a clutch of exciting players which also included Manchester City captain Steph Houghton and former England star Sue Smith who forged a golden era at the club then known as Leeds Carnegie under Rick Passmoor, who returned to the club this summer to take up the post of Leeds United Women manager.

In 2010, White left Leeds for Arsenal, where she lifted back-to-back Women’s Super League titles and two FA Cup trophies, and served Notts County and Birmignham City before joining Manchester City, where she ends her career – behind the Gunners’ Vivianne Miedema, White is the second-top WSL scorer with 59 goals.

The striker has represented her country at three World Cups and three Euros, and started every game under Sarina Wiegman as the Lionesses secured England’s first major trophy in more than five decades in July.

In an emotional social media post, White expressed her gratitude to her friends, family, teammates, agent, managers, medical teams and backroom staff before ending with a note of inspiration:

"This is for the next generation and potentially the next lioness,” White wrote. "You don’t have to be the best at something to make your dreams come true, just look at me. Hard work, dedication, passion and love for what you do are a great recipe. Don’t ever let someone tell you ‘you can’t do something or achieve your dreams’.

"I was once told I couldn’t play in the boys team and I would never play for England.

"Now I am retiring having made 113 caps with 52 goals for England and a European Champion.

"Thank you football.”