USA legend Alex Morgan says she has “done her part” in “helping to gain respect for the women’s game” following her retirement from football.
Morgan, 35, who won two Women’s World Cups and an Olympic gold medal, confirmed her retirement in a video posted to social media on Thursday, where she also announced she is pregnant with her second child.
She will play her final professional match on Sunday when her club side San Diego Wave take on North Carolina Courage in the league.
“I hope my legacy is that I pushed the game forward, I helped gain respect for the women’s game and increase the value and investment in the women’s game,” said Morgan.
“I wanted to help players like myself be respected, have better resources, be better protected, allow female players to just play soccer and not continually fight for things we shouldn’t be fighting for.”
In 2022, Morgan was part of the USA side which secured a landmark equal pay deal after all members of the squad filed a lawsuit.
When reflecting on that, she says it created a “butterfly effect” for the growth of women’s football globally.
“Looking back to the start of my career, it overlapped with legends and so many players that had such a huge impact on women’s soccer globally and domestically.
That’s what I wanted,” said Morgan.
“They talked about passing the torch. I helped carry that for a long time. I felt like I had a responsibility to fight for equal pay, for equity, to do different things in the sport to uplift and protect players.
“I feel like I’ve done my part. Fighting for equal pay in the team was such a pivotal moment in the history of women’s soccer.
It created a butterfly effect that is irreversible and I only see continuing to grow.
“That’s why I’m so happy to say I’m retiring because we’re more than fine – we are great.”
