Megan Rapinoe, pink-haired soccer legend, announces retirement

Megan Rapinoe, the soccer megastar who fought unapologetically for equal pay for women players, announced Saturday that she is retiring.

"It is with a deep sense of peace and gratitude that I have decided this will be my final season playing this beautiful game," Rapinoe wrote on Instagram. "I never could have imagined the ways in which soccer would shape and change my life forever."

The announcement comes three days after her 38th birthday.

Rapinoe was a national icon but in Seattle, we got to claim her as our own. She played for OL Reign of the National Women's Soccer League.

Her accolades are too many to list, but here are a few: She was named Best FIFA Women's Player in 2019, won gold with the U.S. team at the London Summer Olympics in 2012, and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup. She received the Presidential Medial of Freedom from Joe Biden in 2022.

Also on that list: She is married to Sue Bird, a Seattle basketball star and legend in her own right, who retired last year.

Rapinoe is known for being a smart player (if you've never watched this play, it might change your outlook on life), and for her activism off the field for equal pay and LGBTQIA+ rights.

A commemoration of Rapinoe's career will be held at Lumen Field on Oct. 6, 2023 — the final match of the regular season, against the Washington Spirit. From OL Reign: "Details surrounding the 'Forever Reign: A Celebration of Megan Rapinoe' themed match will be announced at a later date."