Megan Rapinoe looks glum with fiancée Sue Bird as she arrives back in NYC wearing protective boot after ex-Reign teammates Jess Fishlock and Tziarra King’s wedding in Wales
Retired soccer star Megan Rapinoe arrived back in New York on Thursday after attending the wedding of former teammates Jess Fishlock and Tziarra King in Wales.
Rapinoe, who brought down the curtain on her career last month after limping out of her final match with an Achilles injury, flew to Britain with fiancé Sue Bird to watch OL Reign stars Fishlock and King tie the knot this week.
As she landed back at JFK Airport, the former USWNT star cut a somber figure next to Bird as she wore a boot on her injured right leg.
Fishlock and King were joined by female football royalty at their wedding in former hometown Abergavenny – near Cardiff, the Welsh capital – while other Reign stars including Alana Cook and Lauren Barnes were in attendance, as well as Rapinoe.
Recently retired Ali Krieger was also in Abergavenny, as were Fishlock's Wales teammates Gemma Evans and Angharad James and former England star Anita Asante.
Megan Rapinoe arrived back in New York on Thursday after attending the wedding of former teammates Jess Fishlock and Tziarra King in Wales
Rapinoe cut a somber figure next to fiancée Sue Bird after flying back into JFK Airport
The retired soccer star wore a boot on the right leg that she had ever injured during her last match
She headed to Wales this week to watch Reign stars Fishlock (left) and King (right) tie the knot
After sharing a photo of her and Rapinoe dressed and dressed for the wedding, Bird had to clarify that they weren't the ones getting married this week.
The former WNBA player said on Instagram: “PSA: Megan and I are NOT married – Sorry for the confusion. I think the fits were too good.”
Rapinoe watched Fishlock and King tie the knot following the release of Netflix docuseries Under Pressure, in which she opened her final World Cup appearance this summer.
The 38-year-old, who played an integral role in the US victories at the 2015 and 2019 tournaments, revealed during a press conference ahead of the 2023 showpiece that she would retire at the end of the 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,” Rapinoe said.
“It means a lot to me in a lot of different ways than the others. Yes, this one is very special.'
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 .
Rapinoe landed back in New York after Netflix's Under Pressure docuseries, in which she appears, was released this week
Former WNBA star Bird had to make it clear that she and Rapinoe were not the ones getting married
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.
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.'