My dream is to manage my childhood club Arsenal – AsanteAnita Asante’s decision to retire from football means she will leave behind a 19-year career doing what she loves – but the messages from childhood friends boasting they once played alongside her will probably continue.There are not many people who can say they have represented their country 71 times, played in five major tournaments, gone to an Olympic Games, won multiple trophies in England and Sweden and played in the United States. So it’s no surprise Aston Villa’s former England international gets messages off friends she used to play with on London street courts asking her to prove to their own kids that she knows them.Asante, 36, hopes she has “represented” that community throughout her career but she already has plans to give back to London – at Arsenal, where her journey started.”I want to get into coaching and management. I want to support the next generation of players and share my experiences with them,” Asante told BBC Sport. “My long-term ambition is to one day manage my childhood club – that would be amazing to go back to where it all began. I want to live again in that world that gave me so much.”‘They shaped me through their own character’Asante started her career at Arsenal alongside some of the country’s greatest playersDuring her time at Arsenal, Asante was part of the 2007 squad that won an unprecedented quadruple, including the European Cup – the only time an English… Click below to read the full story from BBC Sport
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Anita Asante: Aston Villa’s ex-England defender reflects on career after announcing retirement
