Women : Shirley Cruz joins OL Reign

Shirley Cruz Traña, going by her full name, has just joined OL Reign on Tuesday in the United States. She has signed a one-year contract and will play alongside the last Ballon d'Or winner, and icon of women's football, Megan Rapinoe. Farid Benstiti, recently appointed coach following the announcement of Reign FC's partnership with OL, had made signing her one of his priorities and will fully rely on Shirley Cruz's ability to bring her experience and qualities to the other side of the Atlantic.
The 34-year-old has already had a long and successful career. Indeed, she began her professional career with Olympique Lyonnais during the 2006-2007 season. She would remain between the Rhône and the Saône until 2012. Her spell in Lyon was marked by her numerous trophies won, including six French championships, two French cups and two Champions Leagues. She played, in total, 173 matches in red and blue, during which she scored 37 goals.
After that she played for PSG from 2012 to 2018 before going for a year to China. She ended up coming back to play in her homeland of Costa Rica during last season. But one would be wrong to think that Shirley Cruz was at the end of her career; by agreeing to take up yet another challenge in the National Women's Soccer League, the Costa Rican shows that she is still perfectly capable of capturing the hearts of the supporters thanks to her footballing talent.