For all her accomplishments, for all the trophies, for all her achievements, Alex Morgan was never talked about as the best ever. It never seemed as if the conversation around her career was in the same echelon as nearly mythical figures like Mia Hamm, Marta, Christine Sinclair, or others who came before.
That was a feature of Morgan as a person and a player, not a bug.
The USWNT legend never navigated her career with her own interests in mind. Instead, Morgan always put others first — her teammates, her fans, her daughter, her sport.
By the time Morgan announced her retirement at the end of the 2024 season, she didn't sit top of the all-time goal-scoring charts like Sinclair or Abby Wambach. She didn't collect the most appearances of any American, finishing well behind the seemingly unreachable mark Kristine Lilly set. Morgan didn't even win the most Women's World Cup trophies or Olympic gold medals of any American player.
None of that matters, because when you tally up what Morgan did accomplish on the field — and these achievements are gargantuan — and combine them with her impact off it, there's really no other conclusion to come to.
MORE: Running through all USWNT and global records set by Alex Morgan in her career
Alex Morgan is, quite possibly, the most impactful women's soccer player of all time. At the very least, she would be top three in a select group alongside Mia Hamm and Marta, but the argument is there for her to stand alone as the single most important individual in the history of the women's game.
First, Morgan's on-field accomplishments are those of a titan. While she doesn't finish her career first on many all-time lists, she's near the top of most of them.
Morgan ends her career fifth all-time in USWNT career goals with 123, ninth in appearances with 224, and ninth in assists with 53. She won two Women's World Cup titles and an Olympic gold medal in an era of explosive global growth, and won various club titles with the Western New York Flash, Portland Thorns, Lyon, and San Diego Wave.
Emblematic of Morgan's team-first attitude was the U.S. record when she scored a goal: they never lost a single time, winning 76 and drawing 10. The USWNT needed Alex Morgan, and she was more than happy to give her all.
While those on-field accomplishments are that of a Hall of Fame career, they only present the surface of her impact on the game.
Morgan's off-the-field presence was enormous, leading her fellow players and ushering in growth of a sport that fought change at every turn. She stood by both her teammates and those around the globe at every step of the push for equal pay and gender equality in soccer.
All of this grew Morgan's visibility and influence while playing in a sport which, 10 years ago, struggled for viewership. She earned endorsement deals with Nike, AT&T, and Coca-Cola. She wrote a kids book series, championed body-image positivity with appearances in Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition, and was the first female athlete to appear on a FIFA video game alongside Sinclair and Steph Catley.
Through it all, though, Alex Morgan was never about Alex Morgan. She continually pushed her desire to help young girls embrace soccer; she talked endlessly about her daughter Charlie and held her during TV appearances; she elevated her teammates and other players around the globe in countless fights for equality and visibility. When situations called for serious grit, she provided it. All other times, she beamed with an iconic smile.
So it was no surprise that in her retirement video, through encroaching emotion, Morgan spoke not about how hard it was to hang up her boots or how she'll miss the competitive environment of professional sports. Instead, she told a story about how proud she was that Charlie wants to play soccer when she grows up.
Thank you🫶 pic.twitter.com/8BkofVOh3s
— Alex Morgan (@alexmorgan13) September 5, 2024
"It just made me immensely proud," Morgan said, "not because I wish for her to become a soccer player when she grows up, but because a pathway exists that even a four-year-old can see now. We're changing lives, and the impact we have on the next generation is irreversible, and I'm proud in the hand I had in making that happen and pushing the game forward in a place that I'm so happy and proud of."
Look around, Alex. At USWNT matches, an overwhelming percentage of fans young and old sport jerseys with "Morgan" on the back. Countless young girls, and even those already in the professional game, proudly list the 35-year-old as their favorite player and inspiration. Stadiums in Europe are drawing 80,000+ fans to women's matches. The NWSL just signed a huge new broadcast deal. The new USWNT head coach you leave behind was given the same exact salary as her male counterpart upon her hire, and players have signed a CBA that mirrors the men's side.
In 2008, Morgan entered a sport that resisted growth and evolution at every turn and wanted athletes to stay in their lane. When the world pushed Alex Morgan, Alex Morgan pushed back harder, and from that, she leaves behind a global soccer community that has not only embraced the women's game, but lifted it up.
None of that was possible without Alex Morgan the all-time great player, none of that was possible without Alex Morgan the champion, and none of that was possible without Alex Morgan the person.
Hopefully, there will be others to come who lift the game up even more in the future. Yet at the time of her retirement, Alex Morgan is the most important person in the history of women's soccer, and we should all be thankful for what she's given the game. She's sure as hell earned her retirement.
