MADRID, 9 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The American player Megan Rapinoe, one of the most iconic on the international scene, announced this Saturday that she will retire from professional soccer at the end of the 2023 season in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).
This was confirmed by the American Soccer Federation (US Soccer) on its website, regarding a forward “known for her incredible talent on the field, her creativity in scoring goals and her key performances in some of the most important matches of his career”.
US Soccer’s press release also highlighted Rapinoe’s “deep interest in and support for a wide variety of social issues, including LGTBIQ+ rights, racial inequality, voting, gender and human rights, and pay equity.”
The statement stressed about the striker who “leaves the game” at just turned 38 “as one of the most impressive figures in the history of soccer in the United States and in the world women’s game.” Not surprisingly, she has two women’s World Cups (2015 and 2019) and the gold won at the 2012 London Olympics in her honors.
Rapinoe publicly came out as gay in July 2012 and has been a fervent supporter of her cause ever since. She was also the first white athlete and the first woman to kneel during the national anthem in solidarity with American football player Colin Kaepernick.
“I’ve been able to have an amazing career and this game has taken me all over the world and allowed me to meet so many amazing people,” Rapinoe said. “I’m incredibly grateful to have played for so long, to be as successful as I’ve been, and to have been part of a generation of players who without a doubt left the game better than they found it,” added the OL Reign forward. from Seattle.
“To be able to play one last World Cup and one last NWSL season, and say goodbye on my own terms, is incredibly special. I want to thank my family for being by my side all these years. Thank you to all my teammates and coaches from my early days in Redding to the University of Portland,” he said.
Similarly, he had words of thanks for US Soccer, for his current Seattle team and “especially” for his girlfriend Sue Bird, “for everything.” “I will always appreciate the friendships and support throughout the years in this game, and I am beyond excited for one last trip with the national team and with the Reign,” Rapinoe concluded.