Lionesses coach Sarina Wiegman in shock: I thought she'd go on until the Euro's 2025.
Lieke Martens is in her final days as an international player. After the match against Finland on Tuesday evening in Tampere, the forward will end her international career. Sarina Wiegman, former head coach of the Oranje Lionesses, is full of praise for Martens.
"When Lieke announced that she was retiring from Oranje, it hit me: we are saying goodbye to a golden generation. The news was not entirely unexpected, but it was still a shock. Part of me thought she would continue until the 2025 European Championship," says Wiegman, who now leads the English national team, in an interview with NRC.
Sarina Wiegman speaks highly of the Limburg native. "She is a stylist, athletic, she could easily play hockey as well. The attention for the women's team was particularly high because the men's team was going through a tough period. People were in the mood for a celebration, and they got one." Martens was one of the standout players during the victorious 2017 European Championship: "In the group stage, we had to play against Belgium. It was a tricky match; we could have easily been eliminated. Lieke was lightning fast, darting in and out everywhere."
"She had it all: confidence, joy, and quality. She embarrassed the Belgian defense in an incredible way, I will never forget that," says Wiegman. "Because of that tournament, Lieke quickly became a household name in the Netherlands. Her impact was enormous. Parents put their daughters in soccer. Boys wore her jersey; they wanted to be Lieke Martens, something that had never happened before."
The coach understands that the European Championship didn't only bring positivity for Martens: "Lieke is an emotional person. She loves to give, and suddenly everyone wanted something from her. She had to start saying ‘no.’ The world around her changed, which must have been tough. But she is a role model and should be proud of what she has meant for women's football, both on and off the field," Wiegman believes.