Jan 5 (Reuters) - #Denmark international Rikke Sevecke announced her retirement from soccer at the age of 27 after saying on Friday that she cannot continue her career due to a #heart #condition.

Sevecke, who made more than 50 appearances for Denmark, played for Everton in the Women's Super League before moving to Portland Thorns in September. However, she did not make a single appearance for the American side.

"It's hard to know where to start. I've been playing soccer since I could walk and it's always been a big part of my life. But that stops now," she wrote on Instagram.

"Over the past few months I've had some tests done and I recently got the results back saying that I have a heart condition.

"This means that I am not allowed to continue playing professional football and I have therefore had to stop my football career immediately. It's extremely hard not to be able to make this decision when I felt the time was right."

Sevecke is not the first player to prematurely retire due to a heart condition.

In December 2021, Argentina striker Sergio Aguero was forced to retire at 33 due to a heart condition while Lucas Leiva retired last year with a similar issue.

"You should be immensely proud of what you have achieved, Rikke. Your Everton family wishes you the very best in this new chapter," Everton Women said in a statement on X.
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