The 27-year-old striker Caroline Graham Hansen had an intense period last year with games in the Spanish league and the Champions League, and during the year she suffered from heart problems.
She has been a given player in the Norwegian national team in recent years.
When the Norwegian squad was selected for the World Cup qualifiers, which begin this week, the star was there - but she has chosen to decline as she wants to prioritize her health.
"It is with a heavy heart that I write this.
The national team has been a part of my life since I was 16 years old.
I have grown up here.
Gained experiences, memories and friends for life," she wrote on Instagram recently.
Martin Sjögren, Norway's former national team captain, was in charge of the national team from 2017 until last summer's European Championships.
- Caroline is a player with whom I had an extremely good relationship as national team captain, and I still do.
She refuses for a good reason.
She had a tough last year and fought extremely hard to prepare for the championship, but she struggled with her health and the heart surgery.
- I think: if she is at the stage where she needs to focus on herself, she should do it.
Then it's tough for the new national team captain that you can't have your best players available.
But it's hard to argue against Caroline as she wants to prioritize her health.
The load has built up for the break
Sjögren talks about the Barcelona star's last year:
- I have had a proper dialogue with Caroline.
What happened in Poland, when she got the first impression of the heart problem, took a heavy toll on her.
Since then, she has had an extremely long season with around 50 games.
It is clear that it is hard to lose in the way we did last summer as well (exit from the EC).
The whole load has probably built up to a situation where she needs to pause.
Caroline Graham Hansen, has made 97 international appearances and 44 goals for Norway.