Bente Nordby Retires

Bente Nordby has been Norway's top keeper for 16 years but now she has played her last match for her country.

" I have told the national team that I have finished " , the 33 year old told the Norwegian paper Aftenposten , from her new club Lyon , France.

On Suday , Nordby debuted with a clean sheet when Olympique Lyonnaise beat Paris Saint-Germain 4-0 in the French top league. In March and April she and the team will face Umea in the Uefa Women's semi-final. But Nordby has said no to the Norway national team and the Beijing Olympics.

" Another Olympics is obviously tempting , but I have been there twice before and think it's important to try other things ". she said. " I had really made my mind up to retire from football , but took the offer to play in Lyon when it came". Last year she played in Sweden with Djurgarden.

She has played 172 international matches and has won everything : the Olympics in Sydney in 2000 , the European Cup in 1993 when she was the reserve keeper , the World Cup in 1995 . She won the Toppserian league in Norway with Kolbotn and the Norwegian Cup with Asker , and played throughout all Norway's matches in the World Cup in China last year.

" I have been in the national team for so many years , and think I have done and expierenced all I can there , so now I am only motivated to play down here and do the best I can for Lyon " , Nordby emphasized.

Nordby has just moved from a hotel to her own apartment and is learning French two days a week. " Next year I shall study teaching on the internet " , said Nordby , who has a contract until 2009. Then she will retire from football and go home to Norway.

Nordby insists that her decision to give up has been thought through , and that she will not let herself be persuaded to go to the Olympics later in the year. " If I were to go it would have to be all the way and with the same drive as all the others. Anything else is not acceptable. I have thought a lot about it " , said the legendary keeper from Raufoss , in the mountains north of Oslo.