Megan Rapinoe hung up her soccer boots last month, but with the soccer star being as active off the field as she was on it during her career, she will no doubt keep herself busy during her retirement.
The 38-year-old retired under unfortunate circumstances, rupturing her Achilles tendon within three minutes of her final match last month.
Other than heralding her retirement with successful surgery to repair the injury, Rapinoe has been relatively quiet as she considers her next steps after football.
Her glittering career on the field included two World Cup wins, an Olympic gold medal and three NWSL Shields, and Rapinoe is unlikely to have her achievements limited to football after she hangs up her boots.
Here, DailyMail.com takes a look at what the future holds for the football icon.
Megan Rapinoe's career ended last month with an Achilles tear and the star has been quiet ever since
Politics
Rapinoe is already no stranger to the White House, having been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Joe Biden.
She also managed to anger another former president, sending Donald Trump into one of his infamous Twitter frenzies.
Rapinoe herself has admitted that she is considering a career in the political sphere, telling The Ringer earlier this year: “I've had the thought. I've been asked it so many times that I had to think about it.'
However, it seems like her activism is the most likely route, as she added, “I want to live my life. Probably selfishly, I just say, 'That (politics) seems like a lot.'
The attacker received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Joe Biden in 2022
Activism
Fighting for causes she believes in has gone hand in hand with Rapinoe's work on the field throughout her career.
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.
She first did this in September 2016, during an NWSL match between Chicago and Seattle in support of Colin Kaepernick.
The football veteran first took a knee during the national anthem in September 2016
And when she retired, Rapinoe made it clear she had no regrets on or off the field
“The things off the field are the most meaningful to me and I think I'm most proud of leaving this team and leaving the game,” she said.
“Being so outspoken about racial justice or gay rights, I feel like the team has really stepped in and taken it upon themselves to be so much more of who we were on the field and really focus on that .'
“We have been a very special generation of players, but I think it says a lot about us that everything we have achieved on the pitch pales in comparison to what we have achieved off the pitch.”
Rapinoe leaves a lasting legacy for her activism within the game and will no doubt use the time off to further her social work.
It made her one of the first white athletes to take a knee in support of Colin Kaepernick
Expertise
A path often trodden by retired football stars is of course the route of the experts. Former USMNT stars Clint Dempsey and Charlie Davies are featured in CBS's Champions League coverage, while Alexi Lalas fronted Fox's World Cup coverage of the men's World Cup in Qatar.
Rapinoe's former USWNT teammate Carli Lloyd also turned to experts this summer
However, Lloyd used her platform to hit back at her former national teammates following their World Cup exit, which may not be Rapinoe's cup of tea.
But with the NWSL's new four-year media rights deal kicking off next year, Rapinoe could be open to remaining close to the league, but from a position in the commentary booth or studio rather than on the field.
The deal, announced last month by Commissioner Jessica Berman, is worth a total of $60 million per year and will collectively broadcast more than 100 games on ESPN/ABC, CBS, Prime Sports and ION.
Rapinoe's former USWNT teammate Carli Lloyd turned pundit this summer
Management
After her retirement, Rapinoe stated that the NWSL would not get rid of her that easily, promising to still remain involved and support the league despite stepping away from the field for good.
“The investment and the capital and the opportunity to invest in the league's operations – we've seen what Angel City has done and the atmosphere they've created – this year has been incredible,” she said of the NWSL, via People. .
“I think we're really at a point where you're going to see that kind of exponential growth that I think the league is really ready for, that I know the players are ready for, and that's kind of what we've done. all this time I've been imagining it and fighting for it.'
And it is very easy to see her involvement as a coaching role.
After her retirement, Rapinoe stated that the NWSL would not get rid of her easily
Rapinoe has been a leading figure for both the USWNT and the Reign and, in recent years, a role model for the next generation emerging.
But that doesn't seem to be on the cards for Rapinoe — at least not in her mind.
After her final match, Rapinoe stopped talking about her move into a management role, saying she “doesn't want to coach or be locked into one job.”
However, she continued to insist that she would “love to continue to be a part of” her former team, OL Reign, in the organization.
“I would love to be part of this group in some way. I feel like I have a lot to offer in terms of the vision and who we need to be.”
production
One viable option, and one that already goes hand in hand with her activism, is a greater focus on her production company.
Rapinoe co-owns a production company called A Touch More with her fiancé, former WNBA star Sue Bird.
The company's mission is to help tell stories by queer people and people of color, and Rapinoe will no doubt spend more time on production with Bird.
Rapinoe could also focus on her production company that she owns with fiancé Sue Bird
“Megan and I work really well together, and that's not to say it's all roses and sunshine,” Bird told People in September.
'I think that's where the good things come from, the good ideas. It comes from bumping heads, it comes from having different perspectives, going on different journeys, and bringing that to the table and seeing what makes sense, what fits together and challenges each other.”
“I think that's how A Touch More came about, where we sat on the couch talking about a lot of different things. Sometimes we are completely on the same page, sometimes we just see it differently, but then we can talk through it and get to the heart of everything.'
“That's where I think our partnership as people can really be useful in the business world. We are used to that from our sports background, from our team sports background. We have it in our relationship too, and hopefully we can bring it to the rest of the world through A Touch More.'