Rikke Madsen enjoys dream Everton return with win and a proposal

Everton’s Rikke Madsen had a memorable return to action after more than a year, capping off her comeback with a surprise on-pitch proposal from her boyfriend Martin Thomsen after her side’s 3-0 win over Crystal Palace on Saturday.

The 27-year-old Madsen came off the bench in the second half of the Women’s Super League clash, marking her return after giving birth in October.

As her teammates celebrated the victory, the Denmark international was surprised when her partner Thomsen walked onto the pitch with their newborn baby and flowers, before getting down on one knee to propose.

“I’ve been waiting for this moment for so long now, a year,” Madsen told the BBC. “Ever since becoming pregnant I’ve been aiming to get back as quick as possible.

“Today my little baby is turning five months so it is so nice to be back. Ending off with my boyfriend asking me to marry him, that was a little twist. I did not expect that.”

Madsen said that since her last appearance for Everton on 10 March 2024, she was uncertain as to when she might return to the pitch.

The forward will now remember her comeback as one of the happiest days of her life.

“A very happy day. I had no idea I was going to come on and I had especially no idea he was going to propose to me,” she said. “The first thing I said to the other girls was that I hate surprises, but this one was alright.”