Karen Bardsley: Man City and England have lost a goalkeeper but she will have an impact long beyond her career

Karen Bardsley may hail from over 5,000 miles away, but she became truly worthy of legend status for both Manchester City and the Lionesses.

The Californian-born goalkeeper with English parents played in three World Cups, two Euros and the Olympics. She’s won four league cups, three FA cups and one WSL title.

But after a career spanning 20 years, she will bring the curtain down on an illustrious career at the end of this campaign, hanging up her gloves for the final time.

The 37-year-old’s career may be silverware-laden but it has become increasingly difficult in recent years.
In the 2019 World Cup in France she tore her hamstring off the bone in the semi-final against Norway, then, on loan in the United States last summer, she injured her hamstring once again and missed out on a spot in the Team GB squad for Tokyo.

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“After a lot of deliberation and unfortunately being away from the pitch for quite a while now due to injury, it just felt like it was the right moment,” she said.

Even before that night in Le Havre set the wheels in motion for a strenuous end to her career, she’s already began to pass on the baton at club level, acting as a mentor to her successor Ellie Roebuck.

Bardsley was City’s second signing as a professional club and she’s spent eight-and-a-half years in Manchester, but as Roebuck progressed to become one of the world’s greatest she saw her role began to change.

The pressure on a goalkeeper is of a different ilk to any other position on the pitch. They’re the first people to be blamed when a mistake is made and they are as important as the forwards for keeping their side in a game.

While Bardsley has not been able to contribute on the pitch, she has done so off it, using her years in the game to help others at the club. She’s been important to the development of other goalkeepers, but also in being an experienced head during when things haven’t been going right on the pitch for City.

Away from the football itself, Bardsley sits on Manchester FA’s board of directors, given the task of continuing the growth of women and girls’ participation in football across the city.

Her retirement will be a big loss for both Manchester City and England, but she’ll continue to use her lengthy career to have an impact even without being able to feature on the pitch.

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