Matildas goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold has confirmed why she won’t be wearing her hearing aids against Denmark – even if she has to lip-read if they stay in her bag.
Arnold, 29, played in all three group matches for Australia, keeping clean sheets against Ireland and Canada.
In April, the shotstopper visited a specialist in London, who recommended her hearing aids – and she’s been using them ever since.
But against the Danes in the round of 16 World Cup clash at Sydney’s Stadium Australia on Monday, she won’t rely on them because she’s “playing with them too much.”
“I’ve played without them all my life. I still consider it normal not to wear them,” Arnold shared Optus Sports.
Matildas goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold has confirmed why she will not be wearing her hearing aids against Denmark in the World Cup round of 16
In April, the talented shot-stopper visited a specialist in London, who recommended she use hearing aids – but instead she lip-reads on the pitch because she finds them ‘unsettling’
‘It’s a whole different world when I put in my hearing aids, it’s like what I’ve been missing for 25 years?
“But I think if I wore them on the field it would take my mind off[of the game]because I would play with them too much.”
Arnold stole the hearts of many football fans earlier this year after she revealed that the Covid pandemic forced her to confront her hearing problems as her health continued to deteriorate.
Teammates would have to yell at her during calls, Arnold couldn’t hear the tone of her phone, and meeting friends in noisy coffee shops and bars became grueling.
But thanks to the help and guidance of brother Sam, who has worn hearing aids all his life, Arnold realized it was time to see a specialist.
“It was around the time Covid hit and everyone started wearing masks all the time that I realized I was probably lip-reading a lot more than I realized,” said the star goalkeeper, who plays her club football for West Ham.
“Because, frankly, I couldn’t hear anything when people had masks on. I was like, ‘What’s going on?’
The West Ham star (left, pictured with girlfriend Kirsty Smith, a Hammers teammate) now wears hearing aids every day
Thanks to brother Sam (left), Arnold had her hearing checked in London by a specialist, who told her she had no choice but to buy hearing aids
She finally got the specialist to check her out in April and share the scary moment with the fans an Instagram video.
The specialist explained how serious her situation was and told Arnold that she had almost completely lost the ability to hear high frequencies.
“The lady said if I don’t get hearing aids it’s only going to get worse because it’s like a muscle that if you don’t use them will deteriorate over time,” Arnold explained.
“Honestly, I saw Caitlin Foord (Matilda’s teammate) and we were sitting in a cafe where it was pretty noisy, and she said it was so nice to actually be able to have a conversation with me and not repeat herself.
“It certainly made a huge difference.”
After always being the back-up keeper since her international debut in 2012, Arnold is now coming into her own.
Getting a chance between the posts from Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson in the Cup of Nations was crucial.
Matilda’s teammate and good friend Caitlin Foord (right, with colleague Matilda Alana Kennedy, center) joked that she finally didn’t have to repeat herself
Arnold, pictured after making a save in Australia’s friendly victory over England in April, is now first-choice goalkeeper for the Matildas
She seized the opportunity with both hands, making crucial saves against the likes of Spain and Jamaica as Australia lifted the trophy.
Arnold was so impressive that she was named player of the tournament – and now she wants World Cup glory.
“I’m starting to come into my own, I think this is the first time that I really feel part of the team and that I belong there,” Arnold told Optus Sport.
“I’ve always felt like I belong, but I’ve never really felt like that place is mine.
“Obviously I know I still have a lot of competition with Lydia (Williams) and Teagan (Micah) and I’ve never forgotten that, but I’m just worried about myself and know that the mindset I’m in now is where I wanted to be for a long time are.
“So I’m really happy to have come to this place and I think if I can take it to the World Cup then we can be really successful.”
Kick-off is Monday at 8:30 p.m.