The end of an era. Lieke Martens retiring from the National squad.
Lieke Martens announced last week she'll retire after two games against Finland in the Euro qualifiers.
A shockwave went through my body when I saw the news that Lieke Martens will depart from the national team. She’s been the face of the Euro 2017 win. Her forward dribbles made for some incredible goals. She became player of the tournament, best player in Europe, and the World. In the blink of an eye, Lieke Martens went from an unknown talent to a world superstar, sitting next to Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. On and off the pitch, Lieke Martens had that IT-factor. Everything about her style of play was pretty; she’s handsome, introverted, creative, down-to-earth, relatable, and sweet. An idol for young girls was born.
The sudden fame and the demanding schedule of a growing professional sport took its toll on Lieke. She started to desire more family time, which was the reason she started playing for PSG, just a four-hour drive from her parents' home. Her performances started to weaken. In hindsight, the desire to play began to disappear. Andries Jonker, coach of the national team, said he had to convince her to play at the World Cup in 2023. Supporters and media outlets criticized her weaker performances for the national team. It lacked an eagerness. She lost the ball more and more. While critique in Holland is mostly a sign of love, they had a point. She was to young to play lackluster football. Oranje Leeuwinnen supporters really wanted to see the old Lieke Martens, whom they’d once fallen in love with. She still provided some essential moments for the national team back in September in the Nations League. The goal and assist against the Lionesses got us the points needed to win the group stage.
Coach Andries Jonker must have struggled to keep his top players on board. Co-star and top scorer Vivianne Miedema was ruled out of the World Cup due to an ACL injury. Lieke Martens did not want to play anymore, but he did not want to lose two intelligent and creative players at once. It’s fair to say Lieke Martens stuck around because Miedema was ruled out. Otherwise, she probably would’ve retired earlier. Now that Miedema needs to come back into her old form, she’ll get rest in the upcoming Euro-qualifiers against Finland. This is why Lieke Martens will join for the last two games to say goodbye to the Oranje fans and hopefully score some great farewell goals.
With her ending international career, her legacy is set in stone. The national team is already reaping what Lieke Martens has sown. Up-and-coming players like Esmee Brugts (20) were among those young girls who had posters of her in their bedrooms. She wrote assignments about Lieke in elementary school. They both played/are playing at FC Barcelona and are similar players in style and position on the pitch. She’ll probably take her position as forward on the national team. She’s been Esmee’s mentor and supporter from the start. Just watch the World Cup match against Vietnam. Lieke herself said it’s time for someone else to take her spot. She probably means Esmee Brugts.
Check FC Leeuwinnen when the squad is playing.