It looks like it’s going to be another year where soccer fans will be forced to bid farewell for good to yet another name. “I was out for a long time, so I’m going to have to work really hard to wear the jersey again,” Angel City defender Ali Riley said in July, on the occasion of being removed from the season injury list. Such a statement would only mean that the player is looking forward to their return and the coming seasons. Then again, talk about making a U-turn, as Riley has announced that she will hang up her boots at the end of the season!

What changed within the New Zealand veteran just weeks after her return is hard to comprehend. Then again, that’s the harsh reality of any sport: coming to terms with the moment when it’s time to step away. That’s precisely what Ali Riley experienced, leaving everyone stunned with her announcement on Instagram, accompanied by a carousel of pictures that beautifully capture her career.

This also came with a heartwarming note: “At the end of the 2025 NWSL season, I will be retiring from professional and international football. While I certainly experienced my share of heartbreak in my career, it will never compare to the immense love, joy, and gratitude I feel when I look back on over three decades of playing this game.”

“I am so proud to be able to say goodbye on my own terms, in my hometown, and know for certain that I am giving everything I have left to the people around me and the sport that shaped me,” added the 37-year-old defender, expressing gratitude to all those who stood by her.

Whether it was through their belief, support, wearing her jersey, chanting her name, or even making long journeys to see her play, Ali Riley closed with, “This chapter may be coming to an end, but I’m not going anywhere,” assuring fans that while she might be leaving soccer, that doesn’t mean she won’t stay in touch with the game.

Not surprisingly, the former Chelsea and Bayern Munich star had already been preparing for life after soccer, co-hosting a podcast called BFFR with her best friend and ACFC teammate Sydney Leroux. Still, the real buzz remains her shocking retirement news, which quickly took the internet by storm and became the talk of the town.

Angel City veteran makes the soccer world pour their heart!

Such a statement had to draw the soccer world’s attention, leaving everyone to quickly resort to the comment section and react to the emotional news. “You already know how I feel, but I’m so happy I was able to play with you and for you to become family everyone loves you CUZZI4L,” wrote her former Angel City teammate and youngster, Alyssa Thompson, who earlier this month joined Chelsea.

Another departee, Katie Zelem, who also left ACFC this summer to join London City Lionesses, shared her thoughts after spending some significant time with Ali Riley while sharing the brighter side of her retirement: “What a woman!!! You’re an inspiration to everybody around you🫶🏼 now you can be Lucas’s new pickleball partner🤣❤️.” Lucas is, by the way, Riley’s husband.

Christen Press, another Angel City veteran whose contract is expiring and future is unclear, took to Instagram stories by sharing the post and writing, “@RILEYTHREE THE GAME OF FOOTBALL WILL MISS YOU ON THE PITCH!” And speaking of USWNT icons, Kelley O’Hara also stepped into the comments to write, “Congrats Baba! Hell of a freakin careerrrr! You’re a legend!”

Talk about the impact Ali had, as even NWSL rivals came to the comments section of her post to commemorate the New Zealand international’s career: “Congratulations, you changed the game in so many ways! 🫶🏽” wrote Sophia Wilson. Heck, it even extends beyond the game, as the husband of Serena Williams and perhaps one of the biggest advocates of the beautiful game, Alexis Ohanian, also sent his warm regards by commenting, “ONE of ONE. THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING.”

Well, one had it coming; the thousands of heartfelt messages poured in were only fitting for Ali Riley’s impact across her remarkable 15-year professional career. It all began with FC Gold Pride in 2010, where she earned the Rookie of the Year award before embarking on a journey that saw her play for clubs like Western New York Flash, FC Rosengard, Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Orlando Pride, and ultimately Angel City FC, where she made history as the club’s first-ever captain.

On the international stage, Riley’s legacy is equally iconic – 163 caps for New Zealand, the second most in the nation’s history, across five FIFA Women’s World Cups and four Olympic Games, where she also proudly wore the captain’s armband.