Co-captain Ria Percival of New Zealand during the New Zealand Football Ferns press conference at Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand on Wednesday 19 July 2023 ahead of the first 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup match against Norway. Mandatory credit: Alan Lee / www.photosport.nz
Co-captain Ria Percival of New Zealand during the New Zealand Football Ferns press conference at Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand on Wednesday 19 July 2023 ahead of the first 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup match against Norway. Mandatory credit: Alan Lee / www.photosport.nz
In the end, Football Ferns great Ria Percival finished on her own terms.
Her retirement – which was announced by New Zealand Football late on Sunday night – wasn’t a complete surprise, given she hadn’t played for her country since the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup, missing the trips to Chile and Colombia, the Olympic qualifying campaign in Samoa and the current series with Thailand, which concludes on Tuesday (7pm).
However the timing was interesting. Given she is still playing at a high level – with Crystal Palace in the second tier of English football – it must have been tempting to continue until the Paris Olympics, like many of the old guard in the current team are intending to do.
Instead the 34-year-old is stepping away now, with a record 166 senior international caps, more than any other female or male player in New Zealand history.
“It comes with a heavy heart that I’ve made the decision to retire from international football,” Percival said in a statement. “It has been one of the most difficult decisions that I’ve had to make, and it’s not been one that I’ve taken lightly but I feel that it is the right time for me.”
Coach Jitka Klimkova said the subject was first broached last year, in an emotional conversation.
“It hit my heart” admitted Klimkova. “Nobody can replace Ria. When we first talked, because it was a shock for me, I still had a little hope that she will change her mind. We talked about options but when we talked later I was pretty sure where Ria was going.”
“I respect the player’s decision. It’s a tough job playing club football and for the national team with all the travel and demands.”
Klimkova said the news was confirmed “about a month ago” and it was a sad moment for the team.
“I don’t know where to start. We will definitely miss her, there is no one else like her. She has done so much for this team and was always inspirational. But what she has done for us, her legacy is going to last for ever.”
After playing at the Fifa Under 20′s Women’s World Cup in 2006 as a 15-year-old, Percival made her senior debut the following year against China. Her ascension coincided with Australia’s move to the Asian Football Confederation, which opened up countless opportunities for the Ferns.
Percival featured at five World Cups and four Olympic Games and was a popular, if occasional captain. She also carved a niche a club level, playing in the United States, Germany and Switzerland, before her move to England in 2018, where she represented West Ham and Tottenham in the Women’s Super League.
Co-captain Ria Percival of New Zealand during the New Zealand Football Ferns press conference at Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand on Wednesday 19 July 2023 ahead of the first 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup match against Norway. Mandatory credit: Alan Lee / www.photosport.nz
She spent five years in the Bundesliga – when it was arguably the strongest female league in Europe - and reached the FA Cup final with West Ham in 2019. Percival made her name for the Ferns as a fullback, with almost 130 matches on the flank, before transitioning to a central midfielder in 2017.
Her build up to last year’s World Cup was ruined by a serious knee injury, which at one stage threatened to end her career, as she ruptured both her anterior cruciate ligament and her meniscus in April 2022, playing against Australia.
“I just remember planting my foot and then hearing a pop – it sounded like a gunshot just went off in my knee,” Percival told the Herald last year.
Her London-based surgeon had never seen damage like it, while the recovery took twice as long due to the dual issues, includes three months where she couldn’t do any weight bearing activity.
But she made it back and was a key part of the Ferns’ historic 1-0 win over Norway in Auckland. That was the ultimate high, even if the rest of the campaign unravelled slightly from there and Percival was noticeably disappointed to be substituted in the second half of the final group match against Switzerland in Dunedin, with the game in the balance.
Ria Percival hits the crossbar with her attempt from the penalty spot against Norway. Photo / Michael Craig
Speaking on Monday, captain Ali Riley was happy that Percival got to choose her curtain call, rather than being dropped or injured.
“Ria would only do this if Ria felt it was the right thing for her, said Riley. “I would love to continue playing with her but have been speaking with her for months now [about this].
Riley, said Percival, who had “given so much”, was prioritising her mental health and physical health.
It was also special that Percival had finally experienced victory in a World Cup match, after years of toil and torment.
“We wanted it so badly, for us to share it as co-captains, it was highlight of our career and probably our lives up to this point,” said Riley.
Riley, who shared a Ferns’ dressing room with Percival for 17 years, said she was the ideal role model for current and future Ferns.
“She was really humble; her words held a lot of weight,” said Riley. “Her space and role in the history of this team will be unique.”
Michael Burgess has been a sports journalist since 2005, winning national awards and covering Olympics, Fifa World Cups and America’s Cup campaigns. A football aficionado, Burgess will never forget the noise that greeted Rory Fallon’s goal against Bahrain in Wellington in 2009.
