The Republic of Ireland bowed out of the Pinatar Cup over the weekend but Chloe Mustaki can hold her head high.
The 26-year-old Shelbourne standout earned her first Irish cap in a much-changed side that lost 1-0 to Russia. She was named Player of the Match in the aftermath.
Mustaki was born in America but spent most of her childhood in Cabinteely in Dublin. She played for Park Celtic and St Joseph's as a youngster.
Having made her Women's National League debut for Peamount at the age of 16, she couldn't have thought it would take ten years to break onto the national stage.
Speaking to RTÉ Sport, Mustaki tried to put into words what it felt like to put on the green jersey. "Everyone came up to congratulate me after the game, and I think everyone knows how much it means to me."
"Not just the ACL, but the lymphoma when I was younger as well. Finishing my under-19 career and then two weeks later being diagnosed with cancer," she said.
19 February 2022; Chloe Mustaki of Republic of Ireland during the Pinatar Cup Semi-Final match between Republic of Ireland and Russia at La Manga in Murcia, Spain. Photo by Manuel Queimadelos/Sportsfile
Mustaki was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma days after captaining the Republic of Ireland under-19 side at the European Championships in 2014.
That Irish team made it to the semi-finals of the competition but ended up losing 4-0 to the Netherlands. But Mustaki knew something wasn't right.
She went to her GP two weeks after the tournament to see what was wrong, citing a lack of energy. She recalled her cancer diagnosis speaking to the Irish Times in 2016:
(My GP) rang me the next day and told me that something was up. He said he’d like to take another set (of blood tests). At worst I thought I might be anaemic or something. I went in for a consultation with my Mom. He explained what he thought was going on. I remember getting quite upset because I could sense something was serious. Then he sent me for a chest X-ray. There was a six-centimetre tumour in my chest.
Mustaki endured a tough couple of months of chemotherapy, losing her hair and suffering from the ill effects of Hodgkin's. Eight months later, she was back out on the pitch.
She still trained with UCD Waves during the 2014-2015 season and watched her teammates win FAI Women's Cup final as Áine O'Gorman paraded her shirt number at the Aviva Stadium.
2 November 2014; Aine O'Gorman, centre, UCD Waves, celebrates after scoring her side's first goal with team-mates. FAI Continental Tyres Women’s Cup Final, Raheny United v UCD Waves, Aviva Stadium, Lansdowne Road, Dublin. Picture credit: David Maher / SPORTSFILE
She spent the next few seasons between the Women's National League, the Division 1 Féminine in France and the FA Women's Championship.
However, her career in England at Charlton barely got going, as she suffered a serious ACL injury training with the Republic of Ireland squad in early 2020.
That sidelined her for the best part of a year until Shelbourne came calling for her once again. Mustaki was a feature of the Women's National League winning side last year.
Her performances for Shelbourne caught the eye of Vera Pauw, and she earned her way back into the Republic of Ireland squad for their La Manga adventure in the Pinatar Cup.
Mustaki's Long Road
On Saturday, ten years after her league debut and nearly eight years since her cancer diagnosis, she wore a senior jersey for the girls in green for the first time.
"Emotionally everyone knew how much it meant to me," she told RTÉ. It was a strange feeling on the bus on the way back to the hotel, reading messages on my phone from family, friends and everyone around me."
"Knowing how much it meant to me and congratulating me for sticking to it. I'll probably think back to last night for a long time. It was a night and day to remember."
PLAYER OF THE MATCH | 🇷🇺 1-0 🇮🇪
A composed debut from @CMustaki to earn the @SkyIreland Player of the Match award 👍#RUSIRL | #COYGIG | #WeAreOne pic.twitter.com/xZR9CXlkjV— FAIreland ⚽️🇮🇪 (@FAIreland) February 19, 2022
The Republic of Ireland will get to feature in a third-place playoff against Wales this week. It's given them an opportunity for a runout before the World Cup qualifiers return in April.
While Chloe Mustaki is proud of her crowning night after all she's had to endure, she's looking forward to being involved more in the Irish set up in the coming months.
"I absolutely want to be in every single camp over the next year and a half as we prepare for the World Cup, but I have to be proud of how far I've come."
"Seven months ago I was struggling to get through training sessions, pain-free, with Shels. I'll do my best to be involved but there are so many talented players involved at the moment."
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