Marozsán ends Germany soccer career before World Cup

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Former Germany captain Dzsenifer Marozsán said Monday she is retiring from international soccer before this year’s Women’s World Cup because she is still feeling the effects of a serious knee injury.

The 30-year-old midfielder scored the winning goal in the 2016 Olympic final as Germany beat Sweden 2-1. Last year she missed the Champions League final with Lyon and Germany’s run to the European Championship final after tearing her anterior cruciate ligament while playing a World Cup qualification game against Serbia.

“I’m doing well for my club once again but the knee is not like it used to be,” Marozsán said in a statement. “I have to do an enormous amount of work to be able to manage all of the training sessions and games. I believe it would just be too much to do international games, preparation and the tournament as well.”

The German soccer federation said Marozsán will play her 112th and last game for her country in a friendly against Brazil next month. The World Cup begins July 20 in Australia and New Zealand.

The Hungary-born Marozsán’s international retirement comes amid concern over the number of ACL injuries at the top level of women’s soccer.

England’s European Championship top scorer Beth Mead called for more research into the issue after tearing her ACL in December. Other leading players to have been affected in the past 12 months include Spain’s Alexia Putellas, who is the FIFA women’s player of the year, two-time World Cup winner Christen Press of the United States, and Netherlands forward Vivianne Miedema.

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