World Cup excitement lures French legend Louisa Nécib-Cadamuro back into the public eye after early retirement

By age 29, Louisa Necib-Cadamuro had crafted a sparkling career. She was a mainstay on the French national team and accumulated several French Division 1 and Champions League titles with dominant professional side Olympique Lyonnais féminin. She was one of the best players on the planet; cunning, skillful, and equipped with a wicked long-range shot. Had everything gone like most careers like her’s, she’d likely have been playing a role on the French team looking to make a run in the knockout round and lift the 2019 World Cup on home turf. 

Instead, in the prime of her career, she ignited a flurry of discourse. Nécib-Cadamuro hung up her boots as a professional three years ago this summer, with her last appearance coming as a substitute in a loss to Canada at the 2016 Rio Olympics. France’s magician of the midfield retired in order to focus on her family life, a decision she announced following her June 2016 marriage to Algerian international Liassine...