‘CHANGE MY LIFE’

Megan Rapinoe Is Playing Her Last World Cup

“I feel so honored to have represented this country, this federation for so many years,” she told reporters on Saturday. “It’s truly been the greatest thing I’ve ever done.”

Megan Rapinoe, a women’s soccer star known for her public social activism, announced on Saturday that she will play her final World Cup this year and retire after the National Women’s Soccer League season. “It is with a deep sense of peace & gratitude that I have decided this will be my final season playing this beautiful game,” she tweeted alongside a childhood picture. “I never could have imagined the ways in which soccer would shape & change my life forever, but by the look on this little girl’s face, she knew all along.” Rapinoe, 38, has played for the U.S. women’s national team for over a decade, with the upcoming World Cup being the fourth of her career. She is a decorated athlete, previously winning the Ballon d’Or as women’s soccer player of the year, the Golden Boot, and the Golden Ball. Outside of the sport, Rapinoe has earned the ire of conservatives as a staunch defender of LGBTQ+ rights and pay equity in sports—along with her outspoken distaste for Donald Trump. “I feel so honored to have represented this country, this federation for so many years,” she told reporters on Saturday. “It’s truly been the greatest thing I’ve ever done.”