Soccer star Megan Rapinoe‘s career on the pitch will soon come to an end.
“It is with a deep sense of peace & gratitude that I have decided this will be my final season playing this beautiful game. 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 wrote Saturday on Twitter.
The athlete’s tweet came after she announced her upcoming retirement from FIFA Women’s World Cup competition and the National Women’s Soccer League during a press conference on Saturday. The press conference was held prior to today’s United States Women’s National Team (USWNT) friendly against Wales, which will take place at PayPal Park in San Jose, Calif.
“I could have never imagined where this beautiful game would have taken me,” Rapinoe said during the press conference. “I feel so honored to be able to have represented this country and this federation for so many years. It’s truly been the greatest thing that I’ve ever done. I just want to be able to soak in every moment and share it with teammates and friends and family, and share it with with the rest of the world.”
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Rapinoe hopes to lead the USWNT to yet another World Cup this year, which will be hosted by Australia and New Zealand. The athlete has been a part of two World Cup-winning USWNT teams (2015 and 2019).
“It feels really easy to focus and easy to put my all into it and easy to be really settled and excited for what’s undoubtedly going to be the best World Cup that we’ve ever seen,” Rapinoe said during the press conference.
Off the pitch, Rapinoe is an activist and has used her voice to address a myriad of issues. For instance, the athlete is a supporter of LGBTQ rights, and has advocated for racial justice. Her efforts for the latter include kneeling for the national anthem in 2016, which also served as a nod to then-NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
Rapinoe also was key in the USWNT’s fight for equal pay. A number of USWNT members, including Rapinoe, filed a gender discrimination lawsuit against the U.S. Soccer Federation in 2019, stating they were paid significantly less than male players. A settlement was reached in 2022, where players involved with the lawsuit would receive $24 million and the U.S. Soccer Federation would commit to providing an equal pay rate moving forward for both the women’s and men’s teams.
