US women’s football icon Megan Rapinoe limped out of the final game of her storied career Sunday, suffering an apparent ankle injury less than three minutes into the National Women’s Soccer League Final.
No other players were near Rapinoe when she went down on the pitch, a stunned crowd at Snapdragon Stadium holding their breath as medical staff attended her.
After several minutes, the dejected OL Reign star limped off the field, fans giving her a massive ovation as she was replaced by Bethany Balcer.
The 38-year-old American had vowed the match was “really the last one,” in a career that included World Cup titles in 2015 and 2019 and gold at the 2012 London Olympics.
Celebrated for her off-field activism as well as her success on the pitch, Rapinoe announced earlier this year it would be her final season.
The 2019 FIFA Women’s Player of the Year ended her epic national team career with 63 goals, earning 203 caps over more than 17 years and played her final international game in September.