Ireland's Louise Quinn has cautiously admitted that she'd love to make the 2027 Women's World Cup in Brazil despite being in the twilight of her career.
Quinn, 33, has over 100 caps for her country, but time waits for nobody, and there will be a time when she decides to hang up her boots.
It will be a long shot if she does make the 2027 World Cup squad, but the Irish defender, even though she admits it would be nice to reach it, is promising nothing.
“To just have the potential of qualifying for another World Cup would be absolutely lovely to say, but I’m not going to promise anything," the Irish defender said this week.
“I’m not going to promise myself anything. I’ve kept going for years and been able to keep myself in decent shape and continue growing.”
Quinn was part of an Ireland side that successfully reached their first-ever World Cup, but the team performances came in the backdrop of ongoing incidents involving players and former manager Vera Pauw. Pauw has since left her role and been replaced by Eileen Gleeson.
Diane Caldwell, another Ireland player, said that the Irish team's success was in spite of Pauw, a comment that irked Pauw.
Louise Quinn of the Republic of Ireland celebrates after the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 play-off match between Scotland and the Republic of Ireland at Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo By Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile via Getty Images) )However, not everyone was anti-Pauw. Pauw recently opened up about a sexual abuse incident that she went through and shared more about her experiences with former Ireland footballer Richie Sadlier on his podcast.Pauw gave special thanks to Quinn for backing her and supporting her during that time period.
"They supported me also, and the one who was the most outspoken was Louise Quinn, and that helped me so much," said Pauw on the podcast. "She gave me such support. She felt that that showed the team always came first and the health of the players always came first."
When asked about her support for Pauw, the 33-year-old admitted she meant every word about it. Quinn also gave special praise to Pauw for her work with Ireland.
"I meant every word I said at the time that happened," added Quinn.
"It's a very difficult situation to try to deal with. We're a team, we're a squad, and we stick together.
"I'm quite easygoing; I just get on with things. I just do whatever it takes to make sure I'm there for the team in whatever role that is.
"She praised me there, and hopefully she had that respect for me as well, the respect that I had for her. Getting us to the World Cup was huge, massive."
Ireland plays Sweden on Tuesday, June 4.
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