Kaylan Marckese retires after long battle with injuries
No athlete wants to experience this. The former Arsenal goalkeeper ended her career at the age of 27 due to persistent injuries.
Marckese joined Arsenal in July 2022 from HB Køge, where she won two Danish league titles; she made two Arsenal appearances, including a 3–1 UWCL win vs. FC Zürich at the Emirates.
She spent the 2023/24 season on loan at Bristol City, but tore her left ACL in November 2023 against Aston Villa, leading her to return to Arsenal for rehabilitation.
Released by Arsenal in May 2024, she returned home to join Tampa Bay Sun in summer 2024; she completed her rehab with the club and made her debut in February 2025.
Ten minutes into her debut on 8 February 2025, she tore the same ACL again, posting an emotional message on social media praising those who helped her return and vowing to come back “better.”
The ACL crisis in women's football
The story highlights the wider ACL crisis in women’s football, referencing the cluster of Arsenal ACL injuries to Beth Mead, Vivianne Miedema and Leah Williamson, all of whom missed the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
New research by Kingston University in London, funded by FIFA, aims to investigate the impact of the menstrual cycle on knee injuries. Previous research suggests that injuries are more common in women at certain stages of their cycle.
