The former Mexican Women’s National Team player and current Liga MX Femenil player hangs up boots after a career filled with massive impact on and off the field
April 10, 2024 (Fort Worth, TX) – Janelly Farias, one of the most outspoken and valiant players in all Mexican football, officially announces her retirement from professional football at the end of the Liga MX Femenil Clausura 2025 season after an incredible journey that spans almost a decade.
“Football wasn’t ever just a game for me. It was a means of survival… Both on the pitch and in life,” she shared in her retirement video released on her social channels produced by TMJ. “Being authentic meant risking everything. Family, acceptance, even football itself. But living without authenticity wasn’t living at all.”
Despite being told at a young age that girls couldn’t use soccer as a pathway for their future, Janelly made a name for herself in the Southern California soccer scene and went on to play collegiate soccer in New Mexico and UC Irvine.
During college, she made the courageous decision of coming out to her family which resulted in her being alienated and temporarily quitting the game altogether.
Still, her passion for the game was strong and she returned to play professionally for the Mexican National Team and in the Liga MX Femenil, where she became one of the strongest advocates for LGBQT+ rights within the Mexican soccer space.
She starred in a nationally-televised and award-winning commercial for Wells Fargo entitled “Mexican Pride” in 2021 that sought to raise awareness for the LGBTQ+ community and the infamous chant. She is a Sports Emmy-winning studio analyst for her work with Telemundo during the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup and was most recently an analyst for CBS Sports for the Concacaf Nations League Finals. She’s been featured in The Guardian, BBC, and was a key guest speaker for Harvard University discussing Gender, Sexuality, Culture, and Language.
“Janelly Farias is a player that has transcended borders, both figuratively and quite literally,” TMJ Principal Agent Guillermo Zamarripa said.
“When Janelly entered the football scene, it was a tough challenge at times for Mexican Americans to be fully accepted by native-born Mexicans but Janelly has never met a challenge she couldn’t overcome. From the moment she decided to speak out on the discrimination, misogyny, and all the other issues that plague not just Mexican football but football in general, she broke a barrier and introduced a new type of player within our culture. I couldn’t be prouder of her.”
Liga MX Femenil side FC Juarez will pay tribute to Janelly on April 13th at the end of their match against Atletico San Luis Femenil. Janelly joined FC Juarez in 2024 after playing with Pachuca, Club America and Chivas Femenil.
She represented Mexico at the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup in 2006 and made her senior debut in 2007.
Janelly is excited to embark on this new journey off the pitch, hoping to continue her work as a sports analyst as well as branch out to motivational speaking opportunities, focusing on LGBTQ+ rights, gender identity and mental health.
