After almost 18 years, Sara Gama has decided to bid the Azzurre farewell. It has been an extraordinary journey lasting 6467 days. From her debut against Ukraine in 2007 to tomorrow against the Republic of Ireland when she will wear the captain’s armband for the last time, in her 140th appearance for Italy. In between there was a World Cup and four Euros, including the one she won in 2008 with the Under 19s as captain and MVP of the tournament. Infinite time for an infinite player, a symbol of the rebirth of women’s football in Italy and the star of hard work, on and off the pitch, that has changed the story of this sport.

In a press conference, she spoke: “I have tried to smile through the last few days and I am trying to make the most of each moment. Now I am just thinking about what we need to do on the pitch, as the Head Coach has said, the path to Euro 2025 also starts from tomorrow’s game”. Her amazing career in the Italy shirt will come full circle with the match at Viola Park. She will say goodbye to the fans whilst playing the side against whom she scored her first of 7 Azzurre goals. The last dance will only be a few kilometres from Coverciano that “I call home”, she admits with a hint of emotion. “I have passed a big part of my life here and shared many amazing moments with those who have shared all these years with me. I’m leaving the National team after a great run in the Nations League where we showed our true potential. My teammates should do their best to bring Italy as far as possible because they have the skills to do so”.

She has received and continues to receive messages of support, leaving her taken by the words used by those who “have always supported me”. She herself chose to end this long Azzurre honeymoon, in agreement with Andrea Soncin who has thanked Sara for her leadership and the respect and esteem between the players. The number 3 added: “I think it is important to be in charge of my life, we have finished a positive journey and now the group is calm and has faith in its abilities. I’m leaving at the right moment, in a situation that I always hoped for and tried to reach by wearing these colours. Deciding is important for me and I managed to do so calmly. I have given everything and I can say that I have been greatly rewarded”.

Impossible to fault her: over the years the development of the women’s game has come from the feet, the mind, and the courage of the 34-year-old from Trieste. Her speech in front of the President of Italy, Sergio Mattarella, is famous. Celebrating 120 years of the FIGC, she remarked on the pride and sacrifices of several generations of players to see their rights recognised and on the group of girls, with her at the Quirinal Palace, who were about to make millions of Italians fall in love. After 20 years of absence from the competition, they reached the World Cup quarter-finals. This was what changed the way that the movement was perceived and brought about, on 1 July 2022, professional status for the women’s game.

A journey studded with successes, also on a personal level, where she overcame difficulty and prejudice by becoming an example for colleagues and many young children wanting to play football who chose her as a role model. She concluded: “I have always tried to be an example, to inspire the youngest and I hope that many have taken inspiration from my behaviour, the new generation of players will have new challenges ahead of them. From my point of view, I hope that in the future, all children will have the chance to easily access football. To reach this aim we need to work in local areas, investing and improving infrastructure to facilitate access to the sport. If we manage to take this last step from now, in 20 years we will certainly leave a situation much better than we found it”.