Mackenzie Arnold in bombshell admission about quitting as Matildas prepare for Paris Games
The comments will come as a shock to Aussie football fans.
Matildas fan favourite Mackenzie Arnold has revealed she came close to quitting the national side after her disappointment from the last Olympic Games in Tokyo. The Aussie goalkeeper is deep in preparations with the rest of the Matildas squad in Paris as they get set to kick off their Olympics campaign against Germany on Friday morning (3am AEST).
Arnold has emerged as one of the most important players in coach Tony Gustavsson's Matildas side after her heroics for Australia at last year's World Cup shot her to stardom around the country. Arnold was so popular for Aussie fans that Nike bowed to widespread backlash and made her replica jersey available to supporters after initially only offering Matildas outfield jerseys for fans to buy.
However, the popular shot-stopper almost pulled the plug on her international career after the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 after failing to play a game for the Matildas in the tournament. Arnold was also selected in the Matildas squad for the Rio Games, where she played just one game in 2016 but the 30-year-old was a spectator at the Tokyo Games, as the Aussies fell short of a medal by losing to the mighty US Women's National Team (USWNT) in the bronze medal match.
This time things are looking very different for Arnold in what will be her third Olympic Games campaign for Australia, with the shot-stopper likely to feature in every Matildas match, barring injury or suspension. But in a video shared by the Matildas ahead of their Paris Games campaign, Arnold revealed just how close she came to quitting after being asked about what the Olympics means to her.
Mackenzie Arnold says she came close to quitting Matildas
“Nah, I’m not answering that — you know why. I’m not answering that,” Arnold started off saying, before she eventually opened up. “When I think of the Olympics, obviously I haven’t really been part of the team directly in the last two Olympics. I think I only played one in Rio and obviously was part of the extended squad in Tokyo.
“When I think about potentially playing in Paris, it brings a lot of emotions up, and excitement’s obviously a big one. I think I’m just so proud of myself to have gotten to this stage, because if I think back to three years earlier to when Tokyo was, I was probably nearly ready to quit.
“So, if I fast-forward to now, I’m just really proud to see how far I’ve come, and my mindset and the change in that to get me to this place. “So yeah, I’m excited.” The Matildas will be desperate to take that next step after finishing fourth at both the Tokyo Games in 2021 and at last year's World Cup, where they lost to eventual runner-up England in the semi-finals, before going down to Sweden in the third-place playoff.
“Everything is now pointing to the direction that it’s time to get a medal, and I think the team is better than it’s ever been and I think we’re all in such the right mindset right now that we all believe in each other,” Arnold said. “We believe in our team that it’s our time to get the success that we deserve, and I think this is the tournament to do that.”
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The Matildas will have to defy their critics if they are to leave Paris with an Olympic medal, with many questioning whether the Aussies can triumph without injured skipper and talismanic striker Sam Kerr. Matildas veterans Caitlin Foord and Katrina Gorry are also short on games after overcoming recent injuries in the build-up to the Paris Games, with US women's football legend Julie Foudy among those to question the Matildas' medal credentials.
“They can get out of their group but I think (a medal) might be a bridge too far this time without Sam Kerr, with Caitlin Foord coming off an injury, with Katrina Gorry in the midfield coming off an injury,” Foudy told News Corp. “I worry they don’t have the health to sustain them. We know you’re going to need all 16 players (this tournament), it’s a grind.” Following Australia's opening game against Germany, the Matildas will also play group matches against Zambia and the USA.
with AAP
