Alex Morgan, one of the great legends of women’s football, announced that this Sunday will play his last match as a professional and will put an end to a successful careerthat marked the sport forever.
The 35-year-old made her debut for the United States national team in 2010 and after 15 years of playing at the highest level, she decided to retire at the start of this season. She was crowned world champion in 2015 and 2019won a gold medal at the 2012 Olympic Games and one of Bronze in Tokyo 2021However, her achievements go beyond the sporting: throughout her career she was the main figure in women’s football around the world and thanks to her visibility she achieved great advances in her sport.
“I am very proud of my achievements on the court,” she said in a video she shared on social media to announce her farewell, adding: “I am equally proud of what I fought for and what I helped build off the court. Equal pay. Safety for female players. Visibility of stories.”
Along the same lines, she highlighted: “I grew up in this team, it was much more than football. It was about friendships and the enormous respect and support between us, the work to Boosting global investment in women’s sport, and key moments of success on and off the field”.
The absence of Morgan At the Paris Olympics, where the United States won gold for the fifth time in its history, it was one of the biggest surprises of the season. Since her first World Cup in 2011, the star had not missed any of the major tournaments that her team played at international level. However, the team’s new coach, Emma Hayesdecided not to add her to the list due to a drop in her performance and He missed one last great appearance for his countrywith whom he played 224 and scored 123 goals. His last goal at international level was against Argentina in February of this year for the Gold Cup.
However, the player admitted that she had already decided to retire at the beginning of the season, before leaving the national team: “I have made a very clear decision and I am very happy to finally be able to say it.”At the beginning of 2024, I felt in my heart and soul that this was the last season I would play football.“, he shared.
In addition, through the same video he announced that Her retirement was precipitated by important family news: she is pregnant and expecting her second child.so he will not finish playing this last season for his team San Diego Waves and will play his last match as a professional this Sunday.
A legend retires: Alex Morgan’s impact on women’s football
Thanks to his charisma and his enormous talent, since his arrival on the international football scene in 2010, Morgan has positioned herself as one of the leading figures in women’s sport worldwide. In fact, in 2015 she was the first woman in history to appear on the cover of the FIFA16 video game, accompanying Lionel Messi.
Using her platform, she has championed important fights to help advance her sport. In 2016, she was part of a group of five players who filed a wage discrimination complaint with the U.S. Soccer Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
After not receiving any response to this claim, in 2019 the entire team filed a lawsuit against their own federation, in which they claimed to have been subjects of institutionalized gender discrimination and they claimed for a ssignificant salary increase and compensation for all the years they received unequal pay.
Finally, in 2022, the selection of The United States became the first women’s team in the world to reach an agreement and signed the first equal pay contract regarding the men’s team in the history of this sport.
On the other hand, in 2021 she co-founded Togethxr, a media outlet dedicated exclusively to women’s sports, which has already positioned itself as one of the most important in the world in the area.I believe in telling stories of female athletes and their power to advance our culture. When people talk about my legacy, I hope they remember it too. And while this chapter may be ending, A new one is beginning“Morgan said when announcing his retirement.
Source: Ambito
