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\"The TEAM is the thousands of fans who cheered for a team that asked them to care more about just the game of soccer, more than just themselves, more than just people who looked like them, more than just winning,\" she wrote. \"For that, I am forever grateful. I think this World Cup win, and all the subsequent wins, both personal and team, feel so special because for the first time in a long time, it feels like WE ALL WON.\"

\"And while I am truly honored to win @francefootball Ballon D’Or, I’d like to accept this on behalf of us ALL. WE DESERVE THIS,\" Rapinoe concluded, adding a special thanks to her family, including her longtime girlfriend WNBA star Sue Bird.

\"PHOTO:
Kristy Sparow/Getty Images
PHOTO: Megan Rapinoe, who was unable to except her award in person, wins the Ballon D'Or award during the Ballon D'Or Ceremony at Theatre Du Chatelet on Dec. 2, 2019 in Paris. The 2019 female nominees pose onstage in her absence.
>

Rapinoe co-captained the U.S. Women's National Team (USWNT) that won their second consecutive and fourth overall World Cup title this summer.

She was named Best FIFA Women's Player 2019 in September and earned the World Cup's Golden Boot as the tournament's top scorer and the Golden Ball as the top player.

Rapinoe also stood out this past year for her role in high-profile issues that played out off the field.

She was a leader in the U.S. team's fight for equal pay from the U.S. Soccer Federation, telling \"Good Morning America\" in August, \"We won't accept anything less than equal pay. We show up for a game, if we win the game if we lose the game if we tie the game, we want to be paid equally, period.\"

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Megan Rapinoe (@mrapinoe) on Jul 7, 2019 at 12:32pm PDT

Rapinoe also took on President Donald Trump, saying she wouldn't visit the \"[expletive] White House\" if the U.S. won the World Cup. Her comments prompted Trump to write about her on Twitter, tweeting, \"Megan should win first before she talks!\"

Shortly after that tweet, Rapinoe and the U.S. women won the World Cup, and did not visit the White House.

Rapinoe, who went viral during the World Cup with a confidence-invoking pose, also scored a book deal this year to write about her life and her activism.

She used her acceptance speech at the Best FIFA Football Awards 2019 in Milan as a call to action to her fellow pro soccer players.

\"We have a unique opportunity in football different to any other sport in the world to use this beautiful game to actually change the world for better,\" she said. \"That’s my charge to everyone.”

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