The Netherlands’ all-time leading goalscorer, Vivianne Miedema, has admitted that she considered international retirement after Euro 2025.
Her admission comes after Sherida Spitse played her final match for the Netherlands against Canada on Tuesday.
Spitse is the most-capped player in European international football history with 248 appearances for the Netherlands.
Miedema, who has 129 caps for the Netherlands, spoke about her own international future in her column for the Algemeen Dagblad.
Vivianne Miedema reveals why she decided against international retirement
Manchester City star Vivianne Miedema reveals that she decided against international retirement after speaking to new Netherlands boss Arjan Veurink.
Veurink, who previously worked as assistant to Sarina Wiegman at England, joined the Netherlands with a new coaching team after Euro 2025.
In her column, Miedema said: “Sherida got the farewell she deserved on Tuesday evening. We are going to miss a player like that enormous.
“I myself also doubted to stop after the European Championships, but the first conversation with Arjan at the beginning of September was so positive that I made the choice fairly quickly and promised him to continue for at least another two years.”
Miedema also hinted that she is not chasing the captain’s armband after Spitse’s retirement.
She said: “I also had good conversations with Arjan about that. If you look at my fitness in recent years, I think it would be good to keep focusing on that. I don’t have to have a band to be a leader.”
How Miedema and the Netherlands performed over the international break
Veurink coached his first two games with the Netherlands over the recent international break.
The Netherlands struggled in front of goal during a goalless draw against Poland during his first match in charge.
They did take a victory in their second friendly over Canada, with Aston Villa’s Lynn Wilms scoring the only goal of the match.
The Netherlands will now turn their attention to Tuesday, when they discover who they will play in qualifying for the 2027 Women’s World Cup.
A total of 32 teams will take part at the tournament which will be held in Brazil in two years.
What is next for Miedema?
Miedema will return to action for Manchester City as the Women’s Super League resumes this weekend.
City, who have won their last five WSL games, face a West Ham side who are still pointless after six matches.
Andree Jeglertz’s side lost to Chelsea on the opening day of the season but are only one point behind the Blues.
