Former Everton defender Rikke Sevecke has been forced to retire from football at the age of 27 because of heart condition.
Sevecke won 54 caps for Denmark and spent three years at Everton before leaving the Women’s Super League for American club Portland Thorns last September.
“It’s hard to know where to begin,” Sevecke wrote on Instagram.
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“I have played football since I could walk and it has always been a big part of my life. But that stops now.
“In the past few months I have had some tests done and I recently got the results back saying 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 is extremely hard not to be able to make this decision when I myself felt that the time had come. There were so many adventures I was looking forward to.”
Everton Women posted on X: “You should be immensely proud of what you have achieved, Rikke. Your Everton family wishes you the very best in this new chapter.”