Megan Rapinoe

Megan Rapinoe is a retired professional soccer player best known for leading the U.S. Women’s National Team to two FIFA Women’s World Cup titles and for her advocacy work on equal pay and LGBTQ+ rights. Rapinoe spent her childhood in Redding, California, where she grew up playing soccer alongside her twin sister, Rachael. She attended the University of Portland, where she starred for the women’s soccer team and became one of the top collegiate players in the country before entering the professional ranks.

Rapinoe began her professional career in 2009 with the Women’s Professional Soccer league before joining OL Reign in the National Women’s Soccer League. She rose to international fame as a standout midfielder and winger for the U.S. Women’s National Team, helping secure World Cup victories in 2015 and 2019, as well as a gold medal at the 2012 Olympics. In 2019, she won the Ballon d’Or Féminin and FIFA Best Women’s Player honors after earning the Golden Boot and Golden Ball at the Women’s World Cup.

Off the field, Rapinoe is known for her activism, including her leadership in the USWNT’s equal pay fight. She is also an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, and, in 2022, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from former President Joe Biden. She retired from professional soccer the following year.

Rapinoe was previously linked to soccer player Sarah Walsh before beginning a relationship with WNBA star Sue Bird in 2016. The couple announced their engagement in 2020 and their split in 2026.