Europe’s most capped international footballer, Sherida Spitse, is retiring after playing 247 matches for the Dutch national team in a 19-year career.

Spitse, 35, will pull on the orange jersey for the last time for a friendly match against Canada on October 28, but will not be part of the squad for the World Cup qualifying campaign that begins in February.

In a statement, she said she was looking forward to “a new chapter in her life” as a football coach after “years of having to make sacrifices”.

“I am looking forward to wearing the orange shirt one more time, singing the national anthem together and saying goodbye to our fantastic fans,” she said.

“I’ve loved doing it, but now I am making a different choice. I am choosing my children and a new chapter in my life in which I want to develop as a coach.”

The midfielder’s career has coincided with the emergence of the women’s professional game in the Netherlands. She made her debut for the national team in 2006 at the age of 16, while she was playing for the VV Sneek boys’ team in her native Friesland.

The following year she joined Heerenveen for the inaugural season of the Dutch women’s professional league, Eredivisie Vrouwen. She has since played for Twente, Norwegian clubs LSK Kvinner and Vålerenga, and spent the last four years at Ajax.

Spitse scored the third goal in the Netherlands’ 4-2 win against Denmark in the final of Euro 2017. She has also played in all three World Cup finals tournaments that the Netherlands qualified for, reaching the final against the USA in 2019.

She has won 23 more caps than Portugal‘s Cristiano Ronaldo, the most capped men’s team player in the world. Kristine Lilly of the United States holds the all-time record with 354 appearances.

Head coach Arjan Veurink called Spitse an “icon”. “Sherida’s impressive international career has been part of the growth of women’s football in the Netherlands,” he said.

“I have a huge amount of respect for Sherida. We have experienced great success and always worked very well together in the process.”