Alex Greenwood's footballer boyfriend was cruelly forced to retire at the age of just 29. Greenwood is a Lionesses icon after being part of the squad that won the Women's European Championship in 2022 and then finished runners-up at the 2023 World Cup.
The Bootle-born defender has been in a relationship with Jack O'Connell since the pair met at college when they were teenagers. Both went on to become top footballers, with O'Connell coming through the Blackburn Rovers academy and having a string of loan spells in the lower leagues. The defender joined Brentford permanently in 2015, although his stay in west London was brief. It was at where he is best remembered, helping the Blades go from League One to the Premier League. His form was so strong that boss held discussions with his club manager Chris Wilder after a super debut season in the top-flight.
However, his career was wrecked by injury, and after several attempted comebacks, he made the heartbreaking decision to call time on his career at the age of just 29 in 2023. In an emotional message on social media, he wrote: "This is a very difficult announcement for me to make, although Sheffield United fans will already know that for the past three seasons, I have been fighting to save my professional football career.
"Today, I am announcing my retirement from football. I have put my heart and soul into this recovery since my knee problems began in June 2020, but this is a battle I cannot win."
He paid tribute to Greenwood, adding: "For now, some thanks. First, to partner Alex, who has given me support through my lowest moments. She is a supremely talented footballer and it has been a great consolation to be able to watch her career go from strength to strength. I am her biggest fan."
O'Connell, now 31, travelled to Australia to support his partner and the Lionesses at the World Cup. He told Sky Sports at the time: "[I'm] really proud of her. I've been there from the very start. I used to go and watch Alex when she was 16. It's unbelievable how far it's grown now.
"I'm her biggest critic as well. The standard that she sets herself, she has more to come. I get goosebumps when I think about it but I think she's one of the best centre-halves in the world and she still has gears to go through."
O'Connell sadly didn't get a chance to say a proper goodbye to Blades fans as his final game was played behind closed doors because of the pandemic. However, he recently made a one-game comeback in honour of another Blades legend forced into retirement by injury, taking part in Chris Basham's testimonial at Bramall Lane.
Ahead of the game, Basham told the "I think it will be nice for him [O'Connell] to go back and get that feeling, and show gratitude from his point of view as well.
"It's hard at the time, because you're leaving the game and your emotions are also a little higher. Then, once things have settled down, you realise what you've done and what you've done for the club. It means much more now, seeing flashbacks and things like that."
O'Connell will be supporting Greenwood in England's upcoming Nations League games against Portugal at home on May 30 and Spain away on June 3 before the main event of the year - England's defence of the Euros in Switzerland in July.
