Megan Rapinoe is a living legend, both on and off the field. Before the 2023 Women’s World Cup, her 4th World Cup appearance, she announced that she would retire after the tournament. The two-time World Cup champion and Olympic gold medalist has made a profound impact on the game of soccer as well as on the lives of fans worldwide.
While Rapinoe was scoring goals and winning medals, she also fought for equality. She spearheaded the equal pay movement for women’s soccer and has been a vocal advocate against racism and homophobia. She gives moving speeches that remind us all that we have the power to change the world.
In honor of Rapinoe’s retirement, Google released a ‘thank you’ video highlighting her career and fierce activism.
The video features a clip from Rapinoe’s acceptance speech after winning the 2019 FIFA Women’s Player of the Year. Rather than using this time to talk about herself and her accomplishments, she called for change in soccer and beyond. “We have such an incredible opportunity being professional football players. Lend your platform to other people. Lift other people up. Share your success. It’s our responsibility to make this world a better place.”
Rapinoe has teamed up with Google in the past, starring in a commercial that showed her unblurring pictures of her playing soccer as a child and taking selfies with her fans. When asked about the partnership, Rapinoe stated, “Throughout my career, the soccer community’s connection and support has motivated me to fight injustice – both on and off the field – and I’m proud to work across a number of initiatives with a partner like Google who shares my same passion for increasing equity and visibility of women’s sports.”
The tribute video is available on YouTube now and aired last night during the matchup between the US and Netherlands.
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