Lifting the Women’s World Cup, winning numerous individual awards, and taking over the U.S. president – welcome to the 2019 Megan Rapinoe.

For her achievements off the pitch as well as on it, the USA winger, 34, has risen to global prominence. She took home the Golden Boot, the Ballon d’Or, and the Fifa Best prizes, while at the same time attracting attention for her strong views and committing to equal pay campaigning.

Rapinoe speaks about quarreling with Donald Trump, the hypocrisy of’ The Pose, ‘and why she believes in standing up for Colin Kaepernick in a wide-ranging BBC Sport interview.

‘ I logically didn’t understand the seriousness of a presidential quarrel with you ‘-Rapinoe on Trump.

U.S. President Donald Trump attacked Rapinoe in June after she told magazine ‘ Eight by Eight, ‘ if the U.S. team won the Women’s World Cup, she would not go to the White House.

Personally, it felt far less harmful than it was. Logically, I didn’t understand the severity of the president’s quarrel with you.

Presidents don’t argue with people on Twitter, and presidents don’t follow their team members and put undue pressure on them before their tournament’s biggest game. Presidents aren’t attacking any powerful woman he might have been willing to, so he’s not presidential to me.

They’ve been pretty chilling the squad. It was like everyone had my back, and within the group, it wasn’t a problem.

‘ To keep everyone out of control is the same party ‘-Rapinoe on Kaepernick

Rapinoe was one of the first players in the American National Anthem to support Colin Kaepernick’s demonstration against police brutality by kneeling. After changing the regulations of the team, she is now protesting by refusing to sing The national anthem and not the name on it the badge. She said she’s probably never going to sing the national song again.

I wanted to go out before the 2012 Olympics. It felt strange that I wasn’t out there.

As a result, there were so many positive outcomes, helping move the conversation forward, asking people to be my friend, and encourage me. And that didn’t mean you were gay or fully understood the way I did, but to be my friend, I needed people.

Fast forward to 2016, and I enjoy the stuff from Colin Kaepernick unfold, and I feel like immediately: ‘ I don’t know exactly how you are, but I trust you and what you’re doing. ‘

I agree that to bring about change, and it must be more than the duty of the marginalized individual. Going through all the outrage and craziness and hate that only reinforced my self-understanding and the power in my voice.

I believe everybody must do whatever they can to make the world a better place in the most impactful way they can.

I’m a semi-famous person on a semi-famous team-a a very successful team-in, a growing platform that has access to media every day. I think it’s all connected-whether it’s fighting for equal pay, fighting for open access to sport, racial inequalities, brutality by police, LGBTQ+.

It’s the same community in power overloading everyone else trying to keep everyone out of control and not participating in privilege-not just in money-but in the richness of what it means to live a truly complete life where you feel free to live as you want.

I think it’s still changing, but I know it’s just the same in different ways, and people are coping with different things, but we all need to be together to make a difference.

There are now so many more possibilities and so many more lanes to be in that there are a chance and scope for you to be accurately who you want to be. Never let anyone tell you what that is. Never let anyone else describe you, your vision, or what you would like to be.

‘ Often you English are so uptight ‘-Rapinoe on festivities

Rapinoe has gone from a timid schoolgirl who didn’t know she was gay to a public figure who can’t go out without being stopped for selfies by strangers. The American winger is in an extremely divided culture-gaining praise for her blunt style and being attacked by those who find her too brash and arrogant. Has her famous yet unabashed goal celebration become indicative of that split of opinion-charismatic defiance or overconfident, standing proudly with her arms held aloft? Tea-sipping celebration of Team-mate Alex Morgan also created headlines after scoring against England.

The school was a bit strange. I’m a twin, at that time my sister Rachael was so sure that I followed her literally. I didn’t know that I was gay, so once I knew it was so clear-thanks, no one for asking me!

I also had the sport of gaining my confidence; that’s where I got my identity. Being on the U.S. team gives you the confidence to develop and mature on a side that has 23 other women who are as talented and just as good as you are.

For the first time, I did ‘ The Pose ‘ [ goal celebration ] in a friendly manner against Australia. We were one of the most thought about the World Cup squads. There’s been a lot of hype about it, and we’ve decided to stamp a little bit on our superiority.

It was a touch of pride at the beginning. Like: ‘ I know you’re amused at this moment, and I’m the one to entertain you. ‘ It was much more a challenge in the World Cup, but also a pleasure; it was about not having people to take any of our happiness.

There has been much talk of pride, too much boasting, but that’s what you want. These are the goals you wish to, and this team-it’s defiance is giving you, but it’s cheeky. I think we’re going to have fun. We have a significant role to play, so that’s a compromise. We also did this – when we played in the snow, we did cartwheels, sang in microphones, made snow angels.