Former England striker Natasha Dowie says it was “meant to be” that she ended her career at Liverpool after announcing her retirement.
Dowie, 35, is a lifelong Liverpool fan and won the Women’s Super League title with the club in 2013 and 2014.
She returned to Merseyside on loan in January and ends a career which has spanned almost two decades as Liverpool’s record WSL scorer.
“I never imagined I’d get to put a Liverpool shirt on again,” said Dowie.
She told BBC Sport: “To help them get safety last season, to hear the fans singing my song again, to be inducted into the Fans’ Hall of Fame and to have friends and family coming to watch me play and score for Liverpool again… It was a special feeling.
“Nobody can take those moments away from me. I’m really proud. It felt good to go out having finished at the club I love.”
Dowie, who will be honoured at the WSL Merseyside derby against Everton at Anfield on 15 October, won 14 caps for England and played in six countries.
She won the W-League Premiership with Melbourne Victory in Australia, played in the Women’s Champions League with Linkoping in Sweden and also won the FA Cup with Liverpool in 2010.
“It’s a lot of emotions but mainly happiness and excitement – no sadness. I’m really proud of what I achieved and I’m excited for my new role,” said Dowie, who will become the first female ambassador for Liverpool.
“I had a few opportunities to go abroad again, but nothing really excited me as much as the one I’m getting now with Liverpool.
“I’m going to miss the game – everyone does when they retire. I will miss scoring goals and all of those feelings.
“But I’ve left the game at a really good point in my career having ended it at the club I support and love.”
‘I’ve had the best of both worlds’
Dowie, who also played in Italy, Sweden, Norway and the United States in between spells in the WSL, said her experiences abroad are what she is “most proud of”.
“Winning the league in Australia, helping AC Milan reach the Women’s Champions League for the first time, winning cups with Valerenga, playing in the Women’s Champions League with Linkoping – I never dreamt when I travelled that the journey would be like that,” said Dowie.
“I always wanted to push myself. I never wanted to be comfortable. They were some of my most fondest moments because of the people I met, the cultures I experienced, the different playing styles and the language barriers. To be able to say I’ve done all that is incredible.”
Dowie was in Liverpool’s first professional female squad and as part of her new role with the club spent time at Melwood this week to see the refurbished women’s training complex.
“Seeing the girls get omelettes for breakfast, playing on those pitches, having the saunas and plunge pools and being in the changing rooms – it’s incredible. They have everything.
“Back in the day we were at Widnes sharing the gym with local people or on the pitch at the academy after the under-8s had finished training at 8pm. It’s funny because I wouldn’t change it.
“I’ve had the best of both worlds. I’ve had a taste of being a full-time professional athlete, but have also had to work and play. My best years and most successful years were when it wasn’t always easy.”
In her new role, which includes coaching and mentoring the boys under-18s academy, Dowie says she hopes to help “keep humility within the women’s game”.
“How fast the women’s game has grown in the last 10 years is scary, but in a good way. It’s nice because I can share my stories and educate,” she said.
“Hopefully at some point in my career I can get back with the women’s first team in some capacity. I have my A-Licence.
“I just want to get involved in as much as I can in the first year and see what I like. It’s just so exciting.”