The football sensation opened up about dealing with difficult endings
BY ELLA GAUCI, IMAGE BY LORIE SHAULL, CC BY-SA 2.0 VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Football star Megan Rapinoe has said that she is “feeling like [herself] again”, reflecting on the end of her soccer career.
Earlier this year, the sporting legends Megan and Sue Bird announced their split via a joint statement on Instagram. Now, Megan has opened up about this chapter of her life, speaking at the Toronto International Film Festival after a screening of her upcoming documentary, Rapinoe.
Speaking about football, Megan said, “So much of my life and the way that I matured and grew up and the way that I learned to think about the world and feel the world was done through this incredible thing that I go to do. I got to have my family there, I got to do it through my body, I got to do something I loved and that I was really good at.”
She continued, “Now, it’s like, everything comes to an end. There’s phases in life and it’s been really interesting and beautiful and transformative to have to be like, ‘Okay, I’m gonna let that thing go,’ which I was really ready to let that thing go and see what is next in life.”
Megan has been fundamental in shaping women’s football both in the US and globally. In 2019, she was named the Best FIFA Women’s Player, and she helped the US team bring home gold at the Women’s World Cup twice.
Sue and Megan started dating in 2016, and in 2018 they made history by being the first same-sex couple on the cover of ESPN’s The Body Issue. They announced their engagement in 2020.
Speaking to Women’s Health earlier this year, Sue also reflected on the end of their relationship. “There’s no way I am who I am without being with Megan,” she said. “But now that it’s over, I get to take this kind of, like, newish, grown-ish, healed-ish version of myself and be out in the world again. It’s exciting, it’s scary, it’s all of it.”
The Hollywood Reporter announced that HBO is buying the distribution rights to Rapinoe. The documentary is a candid, personal look at the football star’s life and career.
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