The 26-year-old defender has joined NJ/NY Gotham of the National Women’s Soccer League after winning 11 trophies and with countless memories made during her illustrious time in London.

Carter’s time as a Blue certainly cannot be summed up by only a few highlights, but let’s look back on some of her most important milestones as we bid farewell to a Chelsea icon…

Assist in UWCL semi-final v Bayern Munich 2020/21

Having had to practice patience during the early stages of her Chelsea career, Carter had an opportunity to make her mark on the team during the second-half of the 2020/21 campaign when fellow defender Maren Mjelde sustained an injury.

And make a mark she did, helping the team reach the Women's Champions League final for the first time.

We trailed 2-1 going into the second leg of our semi-final match against Bayern Munich, but a 4-1 win on home soil secured our place on Europe’s biggest stage.

Carter started the second leg of the semi-final and shone. A vital clearance to deny Lineth Beerensteyn was an example of her playing her part defensively, and she also chipped in in attack.

Up stepped Carter for the free-kick in the 83rd minute, with the match at 2-1 – 3-3 on aggregate – with extra-time looming. Her exquisite delivery was met by the head of Pernille Harder and set us back on our way to the final.

A free-kick hit so sweet from the right-hand side of the box, her Chelsea team-mates would rush over to celebrate with her as soon the ball hit the back of the net.

A worthy reaction to a moment in which Carter herself described as her best technical action.

FA Cup Final v Arsenal 2021

The 2021/22 season was a breakthrough campaign for Carter in Chelsea blue. She would start in all but one of our WSL matches, which culminated in a third consecutive title, and would win two FA Cups – with the delayed 2020/21 final being played in December.

And it was during that contest against Arsenal at Wembley which reflected how far Carter had come in her own game. This would be her first start in a domestic cup final for the Blues and she stepped up to the occasion.

A resolute display in the backline helped us to a clean sheet, a dominant performance and a 3-0 win. A combination that helped us claim our first-ever domestic treble.

Carter was all smiles as she picked up her first FA Cup medal and rightfully so – it was a sign of a player who go on to relish even more big occasions during her time at the club.

She would go on to score her only goal of the season in our semi-final Continental Cup win against Manchester United, and would claim another FA Cup medal for the 2021/22 campaign, again starting in the final victory over Manchester City at Wembley.

Her performances over the campaign saw her be included in the Lionesses squad for the delayed 2021 European Championships, which England would go on to win.

100th Chelsea appearance in 2022

During the 2022/23 season, Carter reached an important landmark for Chelsea: a century of appearances. For someone who initially had to bide her time to play her part, it was a milestone that rightfully deserves to be mentioned.

Her 100th game in blue came against Real Madrid in the Champions League group stages in December 2022. A match in which she started.

She wouldn’t just stop at 100. Her time in London saw her rack up more than 150 appearances, each one an important building block to Carter’s Chelsea legacy.

And featuring in those matches helped Carter establish herself on the international stage.

Following the 2022/23 campaign, which would see Carter claim another WSL title and FA Cup medal, she travelled to Australia for the World Cup.

Like Chelsea fans were now more than familiar with, Carter would be a standout performer – playing in all but one match as England reached the final, finishing as runners-up.

Champions League semi-final v Barcelona 2023/24

There is no question that Carter leaves Chelsea as one of the best in her position and it was during a game in what would come to be her final season which reflected some of her finest qualities.

With the Blues leading Barcelona 1-0 in the dying stages of the game in Catalonia, Carter, who had impressed throughout the match, made a match-winning-worthy tackle to maintain our advantage.

Barcelona’s Salma Paralluelo looked set to unleash an effort from inside the box to try level the game, but Carter was there to nick the ball from her feet with a well-timed interception.

Her performance in this game – which ended Barcelona’s five-year streak of not losing on their home turf – proved Carter could match up against the world’s best. She was named Player of the Match, and the accolades didn’t stop there as she was named in the UWCL Team of the Season.

It was not only in the Champions League where Carter impressed in her final season as her displays domestically helped the Blues win a fifth consecutive title, reach the Continental Cup final and semi-finals of the FA Cup in her final campaign.

She would be named our Women’s Player’s Player of the Season for 2023/24, a fitting end to what has been a remarkable journey in Chelsea blue.

Thank you, Jess.