Mary Fowler reveals the big mistake she made when she started her career – and the very surprising way she wants to make a living in retirement

Matildas and Manchester City star Mary Fowler has admitted she took herself far too seriously when she started out as a professional footballer – and revealed the two jobs she would like to get once her playing career is over.

The 21-year-old has been in brilliant form of late. He starred for City in the Champions League, helped them to top spot in the Women’s Super League and wants to be a key figure for the Australian side when they take on Switzerland on Saturday.

But when she first played for the Tillies in 2018, aged just 15, her desire to give everything to football went too far.

“When I first started and made my debut for the national team, I was a super-driven person and so focused on football that everything off the field was a distraction,” she said. Forbes.

‘You feel bad when you eat ice cream, you don’t want to hang out with your friends too much because you have to concentrate on your craft.

‘Now I have to be able to laugh on the field, and I also have to be able to have balance off the field, and that actually makes me better.’

Fowler added that she finally realized the need for change when she played for Montpellier in France in 2020.

Her teammates asked her to go on a road trip and hang out with them every week, but she told them she could only organize one outing a month.

“In my head, I thought this was a good amount of time to interact with people socially,” she explained.

But as she relaxed and took more breaks from the grind of professional football, her form improved and she scored ten goals in her forty appearances for the team.

Fowler still has many years of top-level football left, but she has already turned her thoughts to how she wants to earn a living once her playing days are behind her.

“It has always been a dream of mine to open a cafe,” she said.

‘I can’t say I’m very good at making coffee yet, but I’ve always wanted to open a café for the people aspect.

“I love talking to people and I love kids, so I would like to open a space that is very kid-friendly and pet-friendly.”

The other field she wants to delve into is fashion design.

“I would love to start my own brand someday,” Fowler explained.

‘There have been times when I’ve felt less confident about myself and fashion is something I’ve turned to, to help sort my stuff out and try to build myself back up. I would like to share that feeling with someone else.’

The City star previously opened up about her dream of having children during an appearance at a Sydney nursery school.

‘For me, off the field, my dream is to have children one day and have a family, so it’s very nice to be able to work with them [children] now,” she said.