Two-Time World Champion Megan Rapinoe's Rise As a Public Icon and $5 Million Fortune

Soccer star Megan Rapinoe is a two-time world champion and one of Donald Trump's most vocal critics. She is perhaps the most recognizable woman soccer player in the world who has used her voice to spread awareness on a variety of causes. She has also been a voice for future soccer players and their fight for equal pay.

Recently, however, Rapinoe was under fire for allegedly laughing after missing a crucial penalty during the USWNT's loss to Sweden in the Women's World Cup on August 6. While she was trolled on social media, Wrexham star Mullin defended her and the USWNT squad, pointing out that even seven-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi has also missed his fair share of penalties.

Rapinoe explained her reaction to FOX Sports, saying, "I mean this is like a sick joke. For me personally, this is dark comedy, that I missed a penalty," per CBS News.

As Rapinoe announces her retirement at the end of the 2023 National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) season, here's a look at her illustrious career. 

Early life 

Megan was born on July 5, 1985, in Redding, California, to Jim and Denise Rapinoe. She has five siblings. Rapinoe was introduced to soccer by her elder brother and she played the sport with her father as her coach. In 2009, she joined the Chicago Red Stars and played there until 2010 when the team disbanded.

The next year, she joined the Sydney Football Club of the Australian League before finally coming back to the United States.

What is Megan Rapinoe's net worth?

Megan Rapinoe's net worth is around $5 million, as per Celebrity Net Worth. She rose to fame as a member of the United States national team and won many gold medals at the 2012 Summer Olympics and the 2015 and 2019 FIFA Women's World Cups. 

Megan earned close to $4 million when the team won the World Cup in 2019. Average women players earn around $167,000 annually and players like Rapinoe earn around $400,000 per year. These numbers are nothing when compared to what the men earn when they play the same sport at the same level.

Winner of the Ballon d'Or Féminin, Rapinoe has helped shape America's women's soccer landscape. She ranked 19th on Forbes’ highest-paid female athletes in the world as of 2022, taking home roughly $5.7 million that year, per SPORTbible. Her recent contract with NWSL club OL Reign will get her $250,000 as her base salary.

Megan Rapinoe's club career and retirement

After coming back from Australia, she joined Seattle Sounders Women where she played in between camps while they were training for the 2012 Summer Olympics. After that, she signed a six-month contract with Olympique Lyonnais where she scored two goals in six games as a left winger. She then enjoyed a great start in 2013 when she scored three goals in eight games. She soon returned to Seattle Reign FC for the remaining half of 2013. She has played with the club ever since and signed for Reigb FC for the 11th time in 2022.

The soccer player announced her retirement in July 2023, saying that she feels grateful to end her career on her own terms, as per CNN.

Rapinoe: The pubic icon

Rapinoe has created much positive impact with her activism. In 2016, she kneeled during the US national anthem to show support for the NFL star Colin Kaepernick. "Being a gay American, I know what it means to look at the flag and not have it protect all of your liberties," she said at the time.

Rapinoe has time and again fought for equal rights for all, being involved with organizations like the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) and Athlete Ally. She played a pivotal role in getting the historic collective-­bargaining agreements signed which guaranteed the same pay structures for national team appearances and tournament victories, as per TIME.  “It’s a huge step forward to continue to build the sport,” said Rapinoe, at the time.

Fun fact: Megan Rapinoe has a twin sister, who is also gay and both of them did not discover their sexuality until they were in university.

Relationship with Sue Bird

Megan Rapinoe announced her engagement with basketball star Sue Bird, a former American WNBA player in 2020. Painoe and Bird were the first same-gender couple to feature on the cover of the “Body Issue” of ESPN The Magazine and were awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama in 2020. They are planning to marry this year. 

Brand endorsements  

Roganpie has a list of brand endorsements and commercials under her belt, including Nike, Victoria's Secret, Visa, Samsung and Hulu which has contributed to her net worth and solidified her position as a public icon. 

Rapinoe's 2021 partnership with Nike, ‘Victory Redefined’ was not just about marketing but portrayed what victories mean to different communities of people. Visa: In 2019, the nutrition bars brand Luna Bars announced that it would give $31,250 each to all 23 soccer players named in the 2019 USWNT World Cup squad to address the pay gap between the men’s and women’s teams. In 2021, Victoria’s Secret advocated for female empowerment by introducing a new set of faces and one of their ambassadors was Megan Rapinoe. 

The soccer star also has an impressive social media following, with 725K Facebook followers and 2.1 million Instagram followers as of August 10, 2023 and she earns a considerable amount (estimated over $55k) from her posts as of July 2023, per Sportskeeda.