United States forward Megan Rapinoe has announced that she will retire at the end of the season.

“It is with a deep sense of peace & gratitude that I have decided this will be my final season playing this beautiful game,” the 38-year-old posted.

“I never could have imagined the ways in which soccer would shape and change my life forever,” she added.

It is with a deep sense of peace & gratitude that I have decided this will be my final season playing this beautiful game. I never could have imagined the ways in which soccer would shape & change my life forever, but by the look on this little girl’s face, she knew all along. pic.twitter.com/XGZ1T9i7Wy

— Megan Rapinoe (@mPinoe) July 8, 2023

The two-time World Cup winner, who is known for her activism, is part of the USA team that will go to Australia and New Zealand for the next women’s World Cup.

Rapinoe plays for the Seattle-based OL Reign in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). Their season ends in November.

The winger has played for her country for 17 years and has 199 caps. In 2012, she won an Olympic gold medal in London.

She was named the Best FIFA Women’s Player in 2019, but her fame came as much from her support of causes and her campaigning as from her skills on the pitch.

Rapinoe came out as gay in public in July 2012 and has been a well-known activist for LGBTQ+ rights, racial equality, gender and pay equality, and other social issues.

She was one of the most important voices in the US women’s team’s successful fight for equal pay and working conditions, which led to a lawsuit and a new collective agreement in 2021.

In 2016, Rapinoe got a lot of attention when she took a knee during the national anthem to show support for Colin Kaepernick.

“I’ve been able to have such an incredible career, and this game has brought me all over the world and allowed me to meet so many amazing people,” said Rapinoe.

“I feel incredibly grateful to have played as long as I have, to be as successful as we’ve been, and to have been a part of a generation of players who undoubtedly left the game better than they found it.”

“To be able to play one last World Cup and one last NWSL season and go out on my own terms is incredibly special,” she added.

In July of last year, President Joe Biden gave her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which is the highest civilian honour in the United States.

Rapinoe was the first football player and one of only six female athletes or coaches to win the award.

“Beyond the World Cup title to Olympic medals, Megan is a champion for essential American truth that everyone is entitled to be treated with dignity and respect,” Biden said at the award ceremony.

“She helped lead the change for perhaps the most important victory for anyone on our soccer team or any soccer team: equal pay for women.”

Alexis Lalas, a former USA men’s international who now works as a TV commentator, pointed out that Rapinoe’s views made her a controversial figure in a country that is very divided.

“Megan Rapinoe has transcended the game of soccer and she’s fearless and opinionated and interesting and she is a legend and she’s a badass both on and off the field,” Lalas said on Fox Sports.

“Now I fundamentally disagree with a lot of her opinions and stances off the field but I’ll fight to my last breath for her to have that freedom to express that which she has done incredibly well.

“I’ve got a lot of respect for her even though at times I disagree with her,” he added.

But Lalas questioned why Rapinoe made her decision right before the World Cup, where the USA is trying to win a record-breaking fifth title.

“I do think it’s a little weird to announce it before the World Cup and put that kind of attention on her,” he said.

Coach Vlatko Andonovski of the US women’s team said that Rapinoe would still be an important part of the team at the World Cup, which starts on July 20.

“Megan Rapinoe is one of the most important players in women’s soccer history and a personality like no other,” he said.

“It’s been a wonderful experience to coach her in the NWSL and for the national team and I’m looking forward to her being an important part of our team at the World Cup,” he added.

The Californian has spent most of her career playing in domestic leagues. In 2011, she played for Sydney FC in the Australian W-League for a short time. Two years later, she played for French club Lyon and made it to the Champions League final.

In the final game of the 2019 World Cup, France beat the Netherlands 2-0, and she scored one of the goals. She was named Player of the Match. She won the Golden Ball for being the best player in the tournament and the Golden Boot for having the most goals.

Photo by Sydney Mahlangu/ BackpagePix