‘I’d love to get to 100 caps’ – Durham’s McFadden dreaming of Northern Irish century | OneFootball

Durham midfielder Sarah McFadden says that reaching 100 senior international caps for Northern Ireland would be a dream come true.

The 34-year-old is currently on 81 senior international caps for her country and while she is now in the latter stages of her career, McFadden has been in superb form for club and country this season, a sign that the midfielder can go on playing for a good while yet.

Northern Ireland have a minimum of nine games to play in their FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 qualifying campaign and at next summer’s UEFA Women’s EURO while The Green and White Army’s chances of qualification from both tournaments should not be dismissed. There will also be friendly games to factor in ahead of next summer’s UEFA Women’s EURO.

Reaching 100 caps seems like a tough ask for McFadden but one which is not completely impossible. Speaking about the challenge, the player said that becoming a Northern Irish centurion would be a special achievement.

“It is something that I am going to try for,” McFadden told FAWSL Full-Time. “I’ve played for Northern Ireland since 2005 and I never even thought that I would get 50 caps to be honest let alone get close to 100,

“That’s something that I’ve set my sights on but there’s a lot to factor in – form, injuries, so many things over the year, even work stopped me playing over the years. I just know that I have to keep my head down, keep getting picked for the squads.

“I’d love to get to 100 caps because there are not many of us who have got there, men’s or women’s Northern Ireland. I think when I am this close, it is something that I am striving to get towards.”

Discussing her form for club and country, McFadden went on to say that next summer’s UEFA Women’s EURO is proving to be the perfect motivation for her to get better.

She said “I feel like I have improved a lot this year but when you have something as big as the EUROs coming next summer, there’s no greater motivation than that. On a personal level, you want to be in the best condition that you can be physically and mentally.

“I am just so lucky to be part of two teams that have been so successful recently. We know what it is like being part of squads which build you up, encourage you and make you want to be better and I am so lucky to have two of them. There are very few people who can say that they have a club team that are there to support them and they have got an international team that are there to support and make them the best version of themselves.

“I am really enjoying my football this year and hopefully, it continues.”

McFadden could collect her 82nd senior international cap for Northern Ireland when they face North Macedonia in their latest FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 qualifier in Skopje on Thursday evening.