Como defender prints CV on shirt to highlight post-career difficulties for female players | OneFootball

The former Italy defender Alia Guagni had her CV printed on the front of her kit for the final match of her career on Sunday before retiring from football, in an attempt to raise awareness of the uncertainty female players often face when seeking a job after their playing days are done.

The two-time winner of the Serie A women’s footballer of the year award, and a Serie A champion with Fiorentina in 2017, says “speaking up is the only right thing to do” to try to help other players, as she aims to shine a spotlight on the challenges female players face.

The 37-year-old, who won more than 100 caps for Italy, has spent the final campaign of her career with the top-flight Italian women’s club Como. She is hanging up her boots and becoming a mother, and her unusual CV-jersey idea coincided with Mother’s Day in Italy, 11 May.

“I’ve never been someone who seeks the spotlight,” she says. “But there are times when speaking up is the only right thing to do – especially when it might help those who come next.

“I was fortunate to have a plan, but balancing preparation for the future with the demands of professional sport is never simple. A career on the pitch has a natural end. Ensuring there’s a beginning after that end should be part of the journey. Why not help the champions of tomorrow start building their futures today?”

The match on Sunday ended in a 3-1 victory against Napoli, with Guagni playing the first 52 minutes. Como Women, who say they hope the CV-jersey encourages conversations and opens doors for change for women’s players, have vowed to only accept sponsors who commit to hiring their players once they have finished their sporting careers.

The club is owned by Mercury/13, a group intending to become a multiclub ownership group operating specifically women’s teams in different regions of the world. The Italian side was their first purchase, in March 2024.

Header image: [Photograph: Fulvio Bonavia/Como Women]