FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023 - Group D - Denmark v China - Perth Rectangular Stadium, Perth, Australia - July 22, 2023 Denmark's Rikke Sevecke in action with China's Zhang Linyan REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez/File Photo
(Reuters) - Denmark international Rikke Sevecke announced her retirement from soccer at the age of 27 after saying on Friday that she cannot continue her career due to a heart condition.
Sevecke, who made more than 50 appearances for Denmark, played for Everton in the Women's Super League before moving to Portland Thorns in September. However, she did not make a single appearance for the American side.
"It's hard to know where to start. I've been playing soccer since I could walk and it's always been a big part of my life. But that stops now," she wrote on Instagram.
"Over the past few months I've had some tests done and I recently got the results back saying that I have a heart condition.
"This means that I am not allowed to continue playing professional football and I have therefore had to stop my football career immediately. It's extremely hard not to be able to make this decision when I felt the time was right."
Sevecke is not the first player to prematurely retire due to a heart condition.
In December 2021, Argentina striker Sergio Aguero was forced to retire at 33 due to a heart condition while Lucas Leiva retired last year with a similar issue.
"You should be immensely proud of what you have achieved, Rikke. Your Everton family wishes you the very best in this new chapter," Everton Women said in a statement on X.
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Davis)
