Former Arsenal defender Jen Beattie has announced her retirement from football. The Scottish centre-back had two successful stints at Arsenal, first joining the club from Celtic in 2009.
She won four WSL titles, two FA Cups and a Conti Cup with the club before departing for Montpellier in 2013, where she spent two years before joining Manchester City in 2015. In 2019, she returned to the Gunners under Joe Montemurro, who had coached her during a loan spell at Melbourne City. Jen won a further Conti Cup with the club and was awarded a winners medal for her part in the 2024 Conti Cup win.
In 2012, while playing as a striker, Beattie scored a hat-trick in a UWCL game against Barcelona but most Arsenal fans will remember her late header against Wolfsburg in the 2023 Champions League semi-final, in which an injury ravaged Arsenal side, who had moved the Scot into an emergency striker role, forced extra time at a sold out Emirates Stadium as a result of her goal.
Beattie also won 143 caps for Scotland and earned a rare distinction, scoring a World Cup goal for her country in 2019 at the same end of the same stadium in Paris where her father John had scored a six nations try for Scotland. But clearly the highlight of Jen’s career, was featuring on Episode 63 of the Arsenal Women Arsecast in April 2023.
Happy retirement Jen, from everyone at Arseblog News.
Absolute legend of the game and for the club. Looking forward to seeing her do more matchday analysis on the telly.