Controversial soccer star Megan Rapinoe said today she will retire at the end of the year. The announcement comes on the eve of the women’s World Cup.
Rapinoe, 38, has played for the U.S. women’s national team since 2006. This will be her fourth World Cup, which is scheduled to begin later this month in Australia and New Zealand.
“I could have just never imagined where this beautiful game would have taken me,” Rapinoe told reporters at a news conference ahead of a U.S. game against Wales in San Jose, Calif., scheduled for Sunday.
In 2019, Rapinoe won the Ballon d’Or as soccer’s women’s player of the year and earned the Golden Boot as the top scorer and the Golden Ball as the top player of the World Cup with six goals.
Rapinoe used her platform to criticize former President Donald Trump, and spoke out on LGBTQ+ rights and pay equity for women soccer players.
