Alex Morganthe great American soccer player, said goodbye to professional soccer this Sunday, after announcing her retirement on her social networks in a very emotional video, and playing her last match against the North Carolina Courage. It was substituted in the 13th minutein honor of its historic number.
Morgan’s importance in the world of football is not limited to her role as a footballer, but goes much further. Morgan has always been a very important voice in the fight for equal pay between men and women and also in other social causes.
One of the reasons for her retirement, beyond having won everything, is that the player announced that she was pregnant with her second child. “I’m pregnant and, as unexpected as it was, we are very happy. For me, family is everything,” Morgan explained in the farewell video.
“She came up to me the other day (her daughter Charlie) and said that when she grows up she wants to be soccer player, and that made me immensely proud. Not because I want her to become a soccer player when she grows up, but because there is a path that even a four-year-old can see. We are changing lives and the impact we have on the next generation is irreversible,” Morgan said.
The beginning
The 35-year-old forward began her long career in 2011, after being drafted first overall by the Western New York Flashafter leading the Golden Bears at the University of California for four years. In addition, in 2008, she was selected by the United States national under-20 team to qualify for the World Cup.
The year she was drafted, her team finished in first place during the regular season and also won the league in the postseason. That same year, she became the youngest player ever to be selected for the senior team for the Women’s World Cup. In fact, in the semifinals, Morgan scored a goal against France that gave them a place in the final, although they lost to Japan.
History of the selection
After their defeat against Japan, the United States decided to take revenge in the final of the 2012 London Olympics. The match was watched by more than 80,000 spectators and saw the Americans win the gold medal after a 2-1 victory.
In 2015 and 2019 with the American team, he managed to lift the World Cups with goals as important as in the semis against England in 2019. In total he has played in 224 games with the national team and has scored 123 goals and provided 54 assists.
A cover and a Champions League
After Rio, the player signed a contract with the Orlando Pride, but was loaned to the Lyon Olympics in what was his first experience in Europe. On June 1, 2017 won the Champions League against PSG in Cardiff on penalties.
A very important milestone in Morgan’s career, not so much for her as a player (which she also was), but for what she represented. She became the first female footballer to appear on the cover of the FIFA football game and, in addition, she appeared alongside Leo Messi in the 2016 edition.
Farewell match
This past Saturday, Morgan announced that he would retire from football and that the match against North Carolina Courage would be her last appearance as a player. After several years called up to the national team and nominated for the Ballon d’Or (she finished in third place in 2019), she announced on her social networks that she was saying goodbye: “This decision was not easy, but at the beginning of 2024 I felt in my heart and soul that this was going to be my last season“Football has been with me for 30 years, and it was one of the first things I treasured. I have given everything to this sport and what I received in return exceeded anything I could have dreamed of.”
In the 13th minute of the match, Morgan was substituted to the applause of the entire stadium. All her teammates went to say goodbye to a player who has changed football forever.
