Megan Rapinoe admits her final World Cup before retirement is ‘very special’ ahead of USWNT’s shock exit and THAT missed penalty as former teammates pay tribute to the retired star in Netflix’s ‘Under Pressure’

Megan Rapinoe admitted it was “really special” going to this year's World Cup knowing it was her last.

The Netflix series “Under Pressure,” released Tuesday, followed the USWNT's failed quest for a World Cup treble and captured the moment the soccer veteran announced her retirement.

Rapinoe, 38, revealed during a pre-tournament press conference that she would retire after the World Cup and NWSL season.

And she talked about the significance of her last World Cup during the second episode of the series.

“I think it's such a different feeling knowing that this will be my last World Cup because I'm a bit of an old head and I have a different role in the team,” she told Netflix.

Her last World Cup appearance ended in tears as the US was eliminated in the last 16

The veteran previously won two World Cups with the Stars and Stripes, in 2015 and 2019

“It means a lot to me in a lot of different ways than the others. Yes, this one is very special.'

Former teammates and USWNT legends paid tribute to the forward, praising her for her work on and off the pitch.

“I know a lot of what the world knows about her is the way she speaks out and stands up for those who can't,” said Abby Wambach, who won a World Cup with Rapinoe in 2015.

'But I think we've lost the plot a bit. She's an excellent football player, she always has been, and that's why you listen to her.'

Meanwhile, two-time World Cup champion Julie Foudy said: 'Her ability to be bold and courageous in the biggest moments – on the pitch, off the pitch.

“And that's a gift, to combine that combination of athleticism with this intellectual capacity, advocacy and empathy for people who are marginalized or undeserving, and to be willing to speak out and do things that many wouldn't have the courage to do to have. '

Rapinoe, who came out publicly in 2012 ahead of the London Olympics, is an outspoken LBGTQ+ supporter who helped U.S. women players negotiate a new labor agreement with the USSF, which effectively pays female athletes the same as their male counterparts .

But she really cemented her position as an outspoken figure for America's fanbase when she took a knee during the national anthem in 2016, becoming one of the first white athletes to do so.

The 38-year-old's last professional appearance ended in an Achilles tear last month

The football veteran first took a knee during the national anthem in September 2016

She first did this in September 2016, during an NWSL match between Chicago and Seattle in support of Colin Kaepernick.

Rapinoe's international career ended in tears when the US crashed out in a penalty shootout against Sweden in the round of 16 of the World Cup, missing a potentially decisive penalty.

Rapinoe officially hung up her boots last month when her final professional match came in the NWSL Championship with the OL Reign. But her involvement ended tragically after just three minutes when she ruptured her Achilles tendon.

Her stellar career on the field included two World Cup victories, an Olympic gold medal and three NWSL Shields.