“It is with a deep sense of peace, gratitude and excitement that I want to share with you that this will be my last season – my last season in the World Cup and in the National Women’s Soccer League” in the United States, Megan announced Rapinoe of 38 years.
“I never could have imagined how football would shape and change my life forever,” Rapinoe said as she announced the end of her career after OL Reign’s League campaign, which will take place in the fall, after returning from the World Cup . played in New Zealand from August 20 to 20.
Megan Rapinoe was the face and driving force behind an American team that won the Women’s World Championships in 2015 and 2019, as well as the Olympic gold in 2012.
Named the 2019 FIFA Women’s Player of the Year, she has scored 63 goals in 199 games in 17 years for the U.S. national team and will be the 14th American to reach 200 games with her next appearance on the national team. With Rapinoe on the field, the US won 157 of 199 games.
“Megan is the talent of a generation,” said USA Women’s National Team director general and former Rapinoe teammate Kate Markgraf. “When it comes to players performing on the biggest stages, she’s one of the best ever.”
In addition to her soccer prowess, Megan Rapinoe’s activism on issues such as gender equality, racial inequality and gay rights has propelled her to a status as iconic as her unique role in American women’s soccer.
Rapinoe came out as a lesbian in July 2012 and advocated for LGBT issues. She is engaged to American basketball star Sue Bird.
Known for her dyed hair, Rapinoe has supported Black Lives Matter protests and voter rights campaigns.
When it comes to soccer, Rapinoe led the fight for equal pay and conditions for female North American players compared to their male counterparts, a battle she and her teammates won in May 2022 when the Federation The US Soccer Board agreed to equal pay and equal economic conditions in the men’s and women’s programs.
“In all aspects of life, the more we can approach inequality from many different angles — perspectives, different avenues — the faster we can fix the problem,” he said.
In 2016, Rapinoe became the first white female athlete to support football player Colin Kaepernick and join his kneeling protest during the US national anthem before games.
During the 2019 World Cup in France, Rapinoe exchanged harsh words with then US President Donald Trump, dismissing any idea of visiting the White House as Trump criticized her for not singing during the US national anthem and accused her of “disrespect” for the flag. and the nation.
“I’m not going to pretend, I’m not going to live with a president who is so clearly against a lot of the things I stand for and a lot of the things I really am,” Rapinoe told Sports Illustrated at the time.
Last July, Rapinoe received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civilian award, from current US President Joe Biden.
Source: DN
