Chelsea’s record women’s goalscorer Fran Kirby is to leave at the end of the season after nine years in which she “lived out amazing dreams”.
The 30-year-old joined from Reading in 2015 and has scored 115 goals in 205 appearances, winning six Women’s Super League titles, five FA Cups, two League Cups, one Community Shield, and the WSL Spring Series.
“I came to this club as a young girl, with big dreams. After nine years I’m leaving having lived out those amazing dreams in front of you,” she said in an emotional video to fans posted on Instagram.
“I guess this is me saying goodbye to you. A huge thank you to all of you, you have been there for some of my ultimate highs and my ultimate lows and you have always given me so much love, so much support and I will never forget the feeling of playing in front of you – ever.
“So to leave as your record goalscorer, being part of the journey from Staines to Stamford Bridge I guess that’s it. And hopefully I’ll see you soon.”
Chelsea’s general manager Paul Green hailed a club great.
“Fran has been a hugely important player for us over the last nine years. She has played an integral role in the club’s success, winning 15 trophies and earning numerous individual accolades,” he said.
“She is the club’s leading goalscorer in the modern era and leaves Chelsea with legendary status. We sincerely thank Fran for her contributions and wish her well for the future.”
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here