Former England goalkeeper Mary Earps said she felt villainised after announcing her retirement from international football ahead of Euro 2025 this summer.
Earps became a national hero for her role in England's victory at Euro 2022 and the side's run to the women's World Cup final a year later.
But she has spoken out about the treatment she received when deciding to end her England career last month -- just weeks before the team starts their defense of the trophy in Switzerland.
Earps did not specify where the criticism came from, but said it was "difficult" and "painful," adding that she felt "villainised in a way."
At the time of her retirement, Earps said she was stepping aside to give an opportunity to a younger generation.
Speaking to the podcast "Fearne Cotton's Happy Place," she said it was difficult to see her friends and family dealing with comments made about her decision.
"I think that I was villainised in a way," Earps said. "That probably was a bit hard to see things and read things, but it's more what my friends and family see.
"I know you've seen something and then I'm like upset for them because I'm like 'You didn't choose this, you've got to now deal with this,' and I'm then gutted for them."
The 32-year-old Paris Saint-Germain keeper won the prestigious BBC Sports Personality of the Year award after the World Cup, in which she collected the golden glove for the best goalkeeper in the tournament and also saved a penalty in the final.
"The girls are, first of all, a phenomenal team. I think they're going to do really, really well, so I'm really looking forward to seeing that," she added.
"Mentally, physically, I was just like: 'Right, I've given everything here.' Maybe other people weren't experiencing it the way I was experiencing it. I'm quite private, I keep everything in and I try to internalise it and rationalise it."
