By Ilaria Biancacci
A football jersey carries more than a name and number. It carries legacy, pride, and identity. And sometimes, it becomes something far bigger—a manifesto for change.
On 11 May 2025, Alia Guagni stepped onto the pitch for the final time—not just as a player, but as a symbol. After over two decades at the highest level of women’s football, the former Italy international and captain retired to pursue a dream she had long left on the sidelines to focus on her career: becoming a mother.
Until July 2022, women’s football wasn’t even recognised as a professional sport in the country, meaning players lacked basic protections such as pensions, sick pay, and maternity leave. Even today, only Serie A Femminile holds professional status, while athletes in lower divisions and other women’s sports remain classified as amateurs, despite training and competing at elite levels. This systemic disparity contributes to an unstable career path: female athletes often face shorter playing careers, lower pay, and limited access to post-retirement opportunities.
Less than 10% of leadership roles in national sports federations are held by women, and very few female athletes transition into coaching, governance, or managerial positions. The gender pay gap is staggering—top male footballers can earn in a week what many female players make in an entire year. Meanwhile, Italy still lacks a robust framework to support motherhood in sport. Without long-term contracts or parental policies in place, many women are forced to choose between pursuing their athletic ambitions and starting a family. In this context, the average sporting career for women is not only more fragile but also more likely to be cut short, especially when motherhood becomes part of the equation.
Guagni’s farewell match with FC Como Women was charged with emotion and significance, and ended on a high note. The team triumphed over Napoli with a 3-1 victory, a fitting send-off for a player who has given so much to the game. But beyond the final score, the moment was transformed into a powerful campaign drawing attention to the often-ignored challenges female athletes face after retiring from professional sport. Partnering with international agency LePub, the club designed a one-of-a-kind “CV jersey”—a stark, visual reminder that while many male footballers retire as millionaires, most female players must begin again, often with no roadmap and limited support.
“I’ve never been someone who seeks the spotlight,” Guagni shared ahead of her final match. “But there are times when speaking up is the only right thing to do—especially when it might help those who come next.”
A Legacy Beyond the Field
Alia Guagni’s career is nothing short of legendary. Born in Florence in 1987, she began her professional journey at just 15, eventually captaining Fiorentina and representing Italy on the world’s biggest stages, including the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup. She earned over 100 caps with the national team and played abroad with Atlético Madrid, winning a Spanish Super Cup. Known for her speed, tenacity, and leadership, Guagni was twice named Italy’s Player of the Year. But even with her accolades, her transition into life after football has not been without its challenges.
Guagni’s story mirrors that of many women in the game: exceptional athletes whose professional years are defined by lower pay, shorter contracts, and limited post-retirement opportunities. The career they dedicate everything to too often leaves them unprepared—and unsupported—for what comes next.
A Jersey that Speaks Volumes
By walking onto the pitch in a jersey covered with her CV, Guagni flips the narrative. Instead of celebrating the past alone, she and FC Como Women have used this symbolic moment to look ahead, to ask uncomfortable questions, and demand answers.
Why is career planning still a luxury in women’s sport? Why are players expected to give everything to the game and receive so little in return?
Pledging a Future
The initiative is part of FC Como Women’s Beyond programme, which aims to provide players with the tools, guidance, and opportunities needed to transition into life beyond sport. The CV jersey, striking and unmissable, embodies this mission—a wearable manifesto for change.
“A career on the pitch has a natural end,” Guagni said. “Ensuring there’s a beginning after that end should be part of the journey.”
On the day of Guagni’s retirement, it also announced a new pledge: from now on, it will only accept sponsors that actively support post-career employment opportunities for its athletes.
This progressive shift has been supported by Mercury/13, a pioneering investor in women’s football that has helped open up not only opportunities but also difficult and long-overdue conversations. Their involvement was instrumental in enabling FC Como Women to back words with action and build long-term support structures for women in the game.
Guagni’s farewell match was charged with emotion. Teammates formed a pasillo, a traditional guard of honour, as she stepped onto the field one last time. The applause from the stands echoed far beyond the stadium—it was a collective acknowledgment not just of a remarkable career, but of the statement she was making.
Her final match was not simply a goodbye. It was a declaration: that women athletes deserve more. Not just fairer pay or better facilities—but a present and a future where motherhood is not a sacrifice, and life after sport is supported and dignified.
Because while strength on the pitch may win matches, it’s resilience beyond it that shapes history.
