Megan Rapinoe, one of the most legendary players in American soccer history, has announced she will retire at the end of the 2023 NWSL season.
The 38-year-old made the announcement on Saturday, one day before she will likely earn her 200th cap for the U.S. women’s national team in its World Cup send-off match against Wales.
Rapinoe will have the chance to play in her fourth World Cup later this month, as she looks to win the tournament for the third time.
“I’ve been able to have such an incredible career, and this game has brought me all over the world and allowed me to meet so many amazing people,” Rapinoe said in a U.S. Soccer release.
“I feel incredibly grateful to have played as long as I have, to be as successful as we’ve been, and to have been a part of a generation of players who undoubtedly left the game better than they found it. To be able to play one last World Cup and one last NWSL season and go out on my own terms is incredibly special.”
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. pic.twitter.com/XGZ1T9i7Wy
— Megan Rapinoe (@mPinoe) July 8, 2023
Rapinoe was already an all-time USWNT great before a 2019 World Cup performance that vaulted her into icon status. She won the Golden Boot and Golden Ball at the tournament in France, going on to take home The Best FIFA Women’s Player of the Year and the France Football Ballon d’Or that year.
Rapinoe has become nearly as renowned for her work off the pitch as on it, as she has been a fierce advocate for racial justice and LGBTQ+ equality throughout much of her career.
Last year, Rapinoe became the first soccer player to ever be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
“Megan Rapinoe is one of the most important players in women’s soccer history and a personality like no other,” said USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski. “She has produced so many memorable moments for her team and the fans on the field that will be remembered for a very long time, but her impact on people as a human being may be even more important.”
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