Steph Houghton was described as “one of the most inspirational England players of this generation” after the former Lionesses captain was honoured in a retirement ceremony at Wembley.
The 36-year-old was presented to the crowd before leading England out on to the pitch for Friday’s friendly against Germany.
Houghton won 121 England caps across 14 seasons and featured in three World Cups and two European Championships.
“To captain the side for as long as she did and through the times that she did, she really stepped up in the situation,” Nikita Parris, the 71-cap England forward, told BBC Sport.
“Right now we’re playing regular games at big stadiums like Wembley, but before this, people like Steph, Fara Williams and Jill Scott were going in and fighting for us to be on these stages.
“Without their hard work and sacrifice, we wouldn’t be able to play in stadiums like this in front of 90,000 people to win a home Euros.”
Parris, who has not been included in an England squad since November 2022, was part of BBC Radio 5 Live’s coverage team at Wembley.
She played with Houghton for Manchester City and England and praised the defensive stalwart for her leadership qualities.
“As a young player coming through, she gave me advice and put her arm around my shoulder but also gave me a kick up the backside when needed,” Parris said.
“We have been through ups and downs with the national team. Now everything is on the up – but then it wasn’t. Those were the players who showed their experience and what it takes to be an England international.”
Houghton retired at the end of last season and had not featured for her country since 2021.
She captained England to the bronze medal at the 2015 World Cup in Canada before runs to the semi-finals at Euro 2017 and the 2019 World Cup.