U.S. soccer star Megan Rapinoe announces retirement

United States shot subordinate Megan Rapinoe announced Saturday she volition discontinue from the athletics astatine the extremity of the 2023 National Women's Soccer League season.

"It is with a heavy consciousness of bid and gratitude that I person decided this volition beryllium my last play playing this beauteous game. I ne'er could person imagined the ways successful which shot would signifier and alteration my beingness forever," Rapinoe wrote successful an Instagram post Saturday.

A decorated and beloved player, Rapinoe has scored 63 vocation goals with 73 assists. She won golden astatine the Olympic Games successful 2012 and is simply a two-time World Cup champion. Her show astatine the 2019 World Cup earned her the Best FIFA Women's Player 2019 and the 2019 Ballon d'Or Féminin.

Rapinoe, who came retired arsenic cheery successful 2012, has besides been an progressive advocator for the LGBTQ community, sex equality and voting rights. She was the archetypal shot subordinate to ever person the Presidential Medal of Freedom successful 2022, and she was featured successful the 2023 TIME Women of the Year list.

"I've been capable to person specified an unthinkable career, and this crippled has brought maine each implicit the satellite and allowed maine to conscionable truthful galore astonishing people," Rapinoe said successful a connection to U.S. Soccer. "I consciousness incredibly grateful to person played arsenic agelong arsenic I have, to beryllium arsenic palmy arsenic we've been, and to person been a portion of a procreation of players who undoubtedly near the crippled amended than they recovered it."

Rapinoe volition play successful her last World Cup this summertime and decorativeness the play with her long-time nine OL Reign. Her nine said it volition wage tribute to Rapinoe and her "illustrious career" astatine its last lucifer of the regular play connected Oct. 6.