"We're changing lives"- Alex Morgan talks about her impact on women's soccer as she announces her retirement after 16 years as a professional athlete

Alex Morgan has called it quits after serving women's soccer for 16 years. The former Olympic champion took to her X account to announce her retirement.

In a poignant video, Alex Morgan recounted her contribution to women's soccer in the country, and her impact on the sport overall. She captioned the post as "Thank You".

Sharing an anecdote about her daughter that made her "immensely proud", Morgan narrated in the video:

".....Charlie came up to me the other day and said that when she grows up, she wants to be a soccer player, and it just made me like, immensely proud. Not because I wish for her to become a soccer player when she grows up, but because a pathway exists.....We're changing lives and, the impact we have on the next generation is irreversible!"

Morgan also announced that she is expecting a second time. Her first child, Charlie, was born four years ago, in May 2020.

Morgan shared that she is more than proud to have worn the American crest for more than 15 years, and she is really happy with where the US women's soccer team is headed. She also said that she will forever be a fan of the US women's national team.

In the 224 matches she played for the USA, Morgan scored a whopping 123 goals, which makes her the eighth-highest scorer of all time in women's international football. The record for the highest number of goals in women's soccer is with Christine Sinclair of Canada, who scored 190 goals in 331 matches. Morgan will play her final soccer match for San Diego Wave Football Club on 8 September.

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Alex Morgan's top career performances

Alex Morgan of the USA in action at the finals of women's soccer at London Olympics 2012 [Image Source: Getty]

Alex Morgan made her junior debut for the US women's national team in 2008. In the 10 matches, she scored five goals as the striker. She made an impressive debut at the FIFA Women's U20 World Cup, where she played an important role in USA's victory in the finals against North Korea.

Alex Morgan made her senior debut in 2010, and she quickly rose through the ranks to become one of the greatest women's soccer players of all time. She made her Olympic debut at the London Olympics in 2012. She scored three goals overall, including the golden goal that she scored against Japan in the finals, to give the USA their third consecutive Olympic gold medal in women's soccer.

Apart from the gold medal at the London Olympics, Alex Morgan also appeared thrice for the USA women's team at the FIFA Women's World Cup. In the 2011 edition, the team finished as runners-up. However, in 2015 and 2019, Team USA emerged as the winners. Morgan's last major victory was at the Tokyo Olympics when the American team won a bronze medal. She was not selected for the Paris Olympics. However, the US women's national soccer team won their fifth Olympic gold medal, their first gold medal in 12 years.