LONDON — England forward Beth Mead will leave Arsenal when her contract expires at the end of the season.
The 31-year-old announced her decision in an emotional video, bringing to an end a career in which she has scored 86 goals in 263 appearances across nine seasons with Arsenal, having won the Women’s Super League title, three League Cups, the FIFA Champions Cup and the Women’s Champions League with the club.
Mead, who joined Arsenal from Sunderland in 2017, said the Gunners were “not just the club, where I play football, but where I’ve grown up, where I found myself, and where I felt a love and belonging, I’ll carry with me forever”.
“We’ve shared some unbelievable moments together, winning the league title in 2019, lifting the league cups, and maybe the most special one last season, the Champions League,” she added according to PA Media.
“Those nights, those celebrations, hearing you all, those are memories I’ll replay in my mind for the rest of my life…
“Leaving this club isn’t easy. It breaks my heart in ways I didn’t expect, but I leave it with so much love, so much pride, and so much gratitude. Arsenal will always be a part of me, always. Thank you for everything.”
Mead made her England debut a year after moving to London and has gone on to become a two-time European champion with the Lionesses, the first of those in 2022 when she was named player of the tournament and claimed the golden boot.
However, she missed the 2023 Women’s World Cup after suffering a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in November 2022, working her way back to win the League Cup again in 2024 and then the Champions League last season with victory over Barcelona.
Arsenal’s director of women’s football Clare Wheatley said: “Beth has made a huge contribution to our football club over nine years, and will go down in history as one of our best forwards and a legend of the club.
“Beth is such a special person and will always be welcome at Arsenal. I know our supporters will join me in wishing Beth happiness and success in her future endeavours.”
Arsenal have also announced that defender Laia Codina and midfielder Victoria Pelova will leave the club at the end of the season.
