New Zealand captain Ali Riley says her nerve injury might prevent her from continuing her football career.
Riley (36) has told an audience of young girls at an event in Los Angeles that she doesn’t know what the future holds, following her forced withdrawal from the Ferns squad at the Olympic Games.
She withdrew on the eve of the Games, revealing she had been battling an “excruciatingly painful” nerve injury for seven months.
READ MORE: Veteran Fern Ali Riley withdraws from Games team on medical grounds >>>>
The 163-cap Fern last played for her Angel City club side in April.
During the question/answer session at the promotional event in Los Angeles, Riley said: “Who I am is not just a soccer player.
“What I’ve learned from being a soccer player has made me who I am, but my identity goes so much beyond what I can do on a soccer field.
“And so in those dark, dark moments when I was like, ‘Can I get back?’ I couldn’t walk, I couldn’t run, and then even now, when I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to play soccer again. That’s the reality of the injury I have right now.
“The lessons I’ve learned, the community that supports me and where I have honed my skills to do other things that spark joy, I feel like I can still be the best version of myself even if I can’t go out there and play games any more.”
Main photo: Ali Riley … unsure what her future holds. Photo: Andrew Cornega / Phototek.
This story was first published on August 21, 2024.
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