Helen Ward says she would not swap her career ahead of becoming Wales centurion

Helen Ward says she would not swap her 14-year international career for a more lucrative one in the modern era as she prepares to become the newest member of Wales’ 100-cap club.

Ward is set to join Jess Fishlock, Loren Dykes and Sophie Ingle as Welsh centurions in Friday’s 2023 World Cup qualifier against France in Llanelli, while Chris Gunter, Gareth Bale and Wayne Hennessey have reached the three-figure milestone in the men’s game.

The career of Wales’ record goalscorer has bridged the amateur and professional eras of women’s football, with the number of fans witnessing it at games increasing from a few dozen to record four figures.

“I often get asked if I wished I’d been born 10 or 15 years later to be part of this professional game,” said Watford striker Ward, 35.

“But I’ve been really fortunate in the way my career’s gone and I’m grateful for every step (in the game) I’ve been able to see.

“It’s fantastic 17 and 18-year-olds can get into football and earn themselves a professional contract right off the bat.

“But the conditions and circumstances I had as a player helped me grow, and perhaps I wouldn’t have had the same sort of career without it.”

London-born Ward, who represented England at Under-23 level and has played for Women’s Super League giants Arsenal and Chelsea, has scored 44 Wales goals – six more than men’s team record holder Bale.

Ward once scored six during a 15–0 win over Azerbaijan, but chooses her debut goal away to Luxembourg in September 2008 as her most memorable.

“We went 1-0 down, which wasn’t expected, and I managed to get a goal that settled me,” Ward said.

“Jayne Ludlow came up to me and said ‘We’ve got a goalscorer, I like you’. It was a special day.”

I've been lingering in the nineties