USWNT Star Megan Rapinoe Wins 2019 Ballon d'OR

The 34-year-old USWNT star and World Cup champion concludes her incredible year with France Football's second ever women's Ballon d'Or.

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After winning FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year in September, Megan Rapinoe won France Football's second ever women's Ballon d'Or on Monday.

The 34-year-old World Cup champion beat out stars such as England's Lucy Bronze and Ellen White, Vivianne Miedema from the Netherlands, Australia's Sam Kerr and USWNT teammates Alex Morgan, Rose Lavelle and Tobin Heath for the coveted title.

It was a memorable year for Rapinoe, who also won the Golden Boot (after scoring six goals) and the Golden Ball as the tournament's top scorer and best player.

Ada Hegerberg was the first ever woman to be awarded a Ballon d'Or last year, but her decision to miss this summer's World Cup as a form of protest for pay inequality in Norway, diminished her chances of repeating last year's win, despite her Champions League victory, in which she scored a hat trick and earning the record of the tournament's all-time scorer. 

Rapinoe's win marks a victorious year, which also showed her tremendous ability to advocate for issues outside the pitch and use her platform to speak up against social injustice.