Former soccer star Megan Rapinoe called playing for the United States Women’s National Team the “worst job in the world” — largely because it left her open to criticism.
In the Netflix documentary “Under Pressure: The U.S. Women’s World Cup Team,” the liberal activist — who retired from soccer this year — said that having to hear from critics was too much on top of the normal pressures of the job, the Washington Examiner reported.
“I always say it’s the worst job in the world, because if you do your job, then you were supposed to, and if you do one hair less, then you are gonna get lambasted for it,” Rapinoe decried.
Megan Rapinoe calls USWNT ‘worst job in the world’ https://t.co/cXPbMLgEhk https://t.co/cXPbMLgEhk
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) December 13, 2023
Team USA this year suffered its worst performance in team history, losing its first World Cup since 2011. At the time, Rapinoe laughed after missing the penalty kick that helped send the USWNT team packing. Later, she explained that her reaction had been a “dark comedy” because missing a penalty kick was something that didn’t often happen to her.
Her career with the USWNT has led to her incredible fame, earning her millions of dollars in endorsements. According to The New York Times, the average salary on the team in 2019 ranged from $100,000 to $400,000 annually. Adding in Rapinoe’s endorsements from companies like Nike, Procter & Gamble, Victoria’s Secret, Smirnoff, and more — plus landing a two-title book deal — her net worth is estimated to be in the $5 million range, Parade noted.
Rapinoe previously announced she would retire at the end of the 2023 National Women’s Soccer League season. However, her professional career came to an end early when she tore her Achilles tendon in the first five minutes of her last game in November. In her post-game interview, Rapinoe declared that the injury was proof God does not exist.
“I’m not a religious person or anything and if there was a God, this is proof that there isn’t. This is f***ed up,” Rapinoe said. “For sure, I tore my Achilles.”
“I wasn’t overly emotional about it,” she added. “I mean, f***ing yeeted my Achilles in the sixth minute in my last game ever in the literal championship game. … I guess I just rode until the wheels came right off … I’m just a NARP, a normal-ass regular person, having to do rehab which is f***ing devastating.”
Related: Rapinoe Says Injury In Her Last Game Is ‘Proof’ That God Doesn’t Exist