U.S. soccer star Megan Rapinoe will retire at the end of the season

U.S soccer star Megan Rapinoe has announced her retirement to take place at the end of the season when she is 38.

Announcement background: Megan Rapinoe will be playing in her fourth and final World Cup this summer before retiring at the end of her season with National Women’s Soccer League team, OL Reign.
* Rapinoe expressed gratitude for her successful career and believed that her generation of players left the game in a better state.
* Last year, she acknowledged that her age and some sustained injuries were pushing her toward retirement.

Highlighting the career: Rapinoe, who started her international career in 2006, will conclude her career having won two World Cups and one Olympic gold medal.
* She played in the FIFA Women’s World Cup four times and was awarded the Best FIFA Women’s Player of the Year in 2019.

Off the field: Besides her remarkable career in soccer, Rapinoe has been recognized for her activism and advocacy.
* She publicly came out as gay in 2012, becoming the first female member of the U.S. national team to do so, and has been a committed advocate for LGBTQ+ rights.
* She famously took a knee during the national anthem in 2016 in solidarity with NFL player Colin Kaepernick’s protest against police brutality and racial injustice.
* Rapinoe was part of a class action lawsuit against the U.S. Soccer Federation for unequal pay which resulted in a settlement of $22 million in back pay to the U.S. Women’s National Soccer team.

Awards and recognition: Megan Rapinoe has received several awards and recognition during her career.
* In 2022, Rapinoe received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Biden — becoming the first soccer player to receive this honor.

View original article on NPR

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