'The epitome of a role model' - Man City captain Steph Houghton changed the women's game forever

As England's Lionesses celebrated their stunning European Championship triumph in front of a packed-out Wembley Stadium, there was one player who was conspicuous by her absence.

Ten years to the day that she had written her name into the history books on the same turf - scoring the winner in a crucial group game against Brazil at the 2012 Olympics - Steph Houghton was watching the euphoric scenes from afar, having failed to make the cut for Sarina Wiegman's 23-player squad. In footballing terms, her omission was probably the right decision.

She had spent the months leading up to the tournament recovering from surgery on an Achilles problem and had never played for her country under the Dutchwoman. But still, as medals were dished out to the likes of Jill Scott and Ellen White - whose immense contributions to the women's game are near-impossible to distil into words - there was an inescapable sense of sadness, maybe even injustice, for a player who was, for so long, the poster girl of English women's football.

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Still, the influx of kind words that have greeted the news of Houghton's impending retirement this week are proof enough of the almost peerless high regard she is held in by teammates, fans and coaching staff alike. "There is no easy way to say it, but I am retiring from football at the end of the current Women's Super League (WSL) season," the Manchester City captain said in a statement on Wednesday.

"Taking the decision to retire is such a difficult thing to do. Whilst age comes to every player, it makes it no easier having to say the words