After a 14 year, action packed and widely revered soccer career, Megan Rapinoe announced her official retirement from the sport in July of 2023. Passing her captain’s band to Lindsay Horan, she subbed out of international play for the last time, leaving behind a legacy of activism, inspiration, and so much more. Although she’s finishing out the season with OL Reign, her last game with the U.S. National team was on Friday, October 6. She exits a two-time World Cup champion and an instrumental figure in leading her team to gold in the 2012 Olympics and bronze in the 2020 games. Some of her most famous awards include The Golden Boot and the Golden Ball from her performance in the 2019 world cup, where she scored the most goals in the tournament. Additionally, she was the first ever soccer player to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Biden in 2022. 

Soccer isn’t the only thing Rapinoe’s known for though. Addressing a full stadium of fans, after her last match with the U.S. team, Rapinoe said, “We’ve fought so hard off the field to continue to create more space for ourselves to be who we are, but hopefully in turn, more space for you guys to be who you are.” An LGBTQ, feminist, and human rights activist, Rapinoe’s impact on the world has extended far beyond the pitch. On September 4, 2016, she became the first white athlete to kneel to the National Anthem in solidarity to Colin Kaepernick’s movement supporting Black Lives Matter. She’s also remained a steadfast activist regarding the fight for equal pay in women’s sports. Rapinoe and 28 other female players filed a lawsuit in 2019 against the U.S. Soccer Federation for pay discrimination. Although the lawsuit didn’t come to fruition, it paid off in 2022 when her and her teammate, Alex Morgan became two of the few players that received a $24 million settlement. 

With love and support for her teammates, family, friends, and fans, Rapinoe’s farewell speech resonated with viewers everywhere. “I’m one of you guys now!” she said in her speech, addressing Lumen Field, “[I’ll be] the biggest fan of this team.” Her  impact in the world and the U.S. is far from over. Rapinoe expressed her excitement for the future in a press conference with U.S. Soccer, “I obviously know that this is an ending of one chapter, but it feels very much so like a beginning,” she stated. She also described her excitement in being able to spend more time with  friends and family. Her wife, Sue Bird, also an athletic superstar and Seattle Storm legend, retired in 2022. Fans will miss them greatly, but they wait to see where the future will take this dynamic duo. In a stadium packed with adoring fans, Rapinoe took a final bow, posters all around her declaring, “Once a legend, always a legend.”