Video: Watch Alex Morgan tearfully announce his retirement from football

American women’s soccer star Alex Morgan announced this week that she will retire from the sport in an emotional video posted on social media.

“I’m going to get straight to the point. I’m retiring and I’m very clear about this decision and I’m very happy to be able to tell you that. It’s been a long process and this decision wasn’t easy, but at the beginning of 2024 I felt in my heart and soul that this was the last season I would be playing football,” Morgan said in a video posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday.

“For me, success is defined by never giving up and giving it your all, and that’s precisely what I did. I give my all every day on the court and that’s what I did: give it my all in the tireless effort to achieve global investment in women’s sport, because we deserve it,” she added.

As the video continued, Morgan appeared to begin crying as she made another announcement about her own pregnancy.

“I’m pregnant and, as unexpected as it was, we’re very happy. For me, family is everything. I wouldn’t be here without my husband and family, who have encouraged, motivated, encouraged, supported and sacrificed for me over the past 15 years as a professional athlete,” she said.

Morgan also said in the video that this upcoming Sunday, September 8, will be his last game on the soccer field, as a member of the San Diego Wave FC, in a match against the North Carolina Courage.

In the retirement announcement video, Morgan also talked about his daughter, Charlie, saying he approached her and told her he wants to be a soccer player, too.

“I felt immensely proud, not because I want her to be a football player when she grows up, but because there is a path that even a four-year-old can see now,” Morgan said. “We are changing lives and the impact we have on the next generation is irreversible. And I’m proud of my part in making that happen, in pushing the game forward and leaving it in a place that I’m so happy and proud of.”

Morgan, 35, is a two-time World Cup champion with the U.S. women’s national team and has also won an Olympic gold medal. Morgan had already practiced with the U.S. women’s national team in the spring but did not earn a spot on the team for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.