NAGRETIRO na si veteran player Tahnai Annis, ang longtime captain ng Philippine women’s national football team.
Inanunsiyo ni Annis, 35, ang kanyang pagreretiro sa Futbol Brew podcast nitong Linggo.
“It’s a big announcement for me,” sabi ni Annis, na ipinanganak sa Amerika ngunit na-trace ang kanyang pinagmulan sa Lucena sa pamamagitan ng kanyang ina.
“It’s something that over the past months, I knew was going to need to be a conversation. But I’m happy to be on this side of it and kind of coming to that on my own terms and getting to share a little bit about what that looks like and how that’s been for me into coming to make this decision,” dagdag pa niya.
“I think my body, my mind and kind of, my spirit has just come to a point where it’s all in alignment that it’s time for me to step away,” ani Annis.
Si Annis ay naging miyembro ng Philippine women’s football program magmula noong 2018 at tinulungan ang national team sa pag-angat nito sa mga nakalipas na taon.
Naging captain siya ng koponan na nag-qualify para sa FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 at nakopo ang 2022 AFF Women’s Championship sa home soil sa Manila.
Nagretiro siya na nagwagi ng 38 caps at umiskor ng 14 goals para sa Filipinas.
Si Annis ay huling naglaro para sa bansa noong April 2024, sa pares ng friendlies laban sa South Korea.