Alex Morgan Profile

Two World Cups, an Olympic gold medal, one of the all-time highest appearance makers for USWNT and a host of individual awards to her name. Is there anything Alex Morgan hasn't achieved?

Alex Morgan is an American soccer player who is one of the most famous names in the women's game and holds a long list of achievements in her career, both as an individual and for club and country.

Her greatest achievement is undoubtedly her continued success with the United States national team. She has been part of two FIFA Women's World Cup winning sides, finishing as joint-top scorer in the 2019 competition with six goals. Morgan also won a gold medal for her country at the 2012 Olympic Games. She has won several other tournaments too, including the CONCACAF Women's Championship.

She has seen plenty of success in club soccer as well, having won three league titles in her career, one of which came as part of a European treble during her time with Lyon.

Named as one of TIME's 100 Most Influential People of 2019, Morgan has also made a big impact off the field. As well as doing a range of charity work, she is paving the way for young female soccer players to come through by campaigning for more support and equal pay in the women's game.

Alex Morgan and USWNT

Alex Morgan has won over 170 caps with the United States Women's National Team (USWNT), lifting several trophies in that time. She has been involved in the senior team since catching the eye in the 2008 U-20 Women's World Cup, where she scored a stunning goal which ultimately won the tournament. It was voted runner-up in FIFA's Goal of the Year competition.

She scored a crucial late goal to earn her nation a place at the 2011 Women's World Cup. The US finished second in the tournament after losing to Japan in the final, but Morgan became the first player to score and assist in a World Cup final.

Things only got better in 2012 as she scored her first career hat-trick in the Algarve Cup. Morgan then travelled to London for the Olympic Games and returned to the States with a gold medal. She scored in the 123rd minute of the semi-final against Canada, which set a new record for the latest goal scored in USWNT history. She also had a part to play in the final, as she assisted a Carli Lloyd strike as the US got the better of Japan.

Success as a nation continued in 2013 as they lifted the Algarve Cup and Morgan finished as joint-top scorer in the competition. After another title victory in the 2015 Algarve Cup, Morgan started every game in the Women's World Cup where the United States finished as champions, beating Japan in the final.

In qualification for the 2016 Olympics, Morgan set a record of scoring the fastest goal in team history, finding the back of the net after just 12 seconds. Her performances in qualifying for the Olympics earned a place in the tournament's Best XI. The USWNT won the first SheBelieves Cup in the same year, with Morgan taking the Golden Boot and the MVP award.

After finishing as top scorer with seven goals at the 2018 CONCACAF Women's Championship and lifting the trophy, Morgan followed this up with more success at the 2019 Women's World Cup. Her six goals saw her finish as joint-top scorer, with five of them coming in a record-breaking 13-0 win over Thailand in the group stages. Her infamous celebration of pretending to sip tea in a semi-final victory over England earned her plenty of media attention, while she also won a penalty in the final against the Netherlands.

Moving to England with Tottenham Hotspur

Morgan's move to Women's Super League side Tottenham Hotspur in September 2020 created a media storm, with many surprised that a player of her status was joining a club relatively new to the scene. While fellow US stars such as Tobin Heath and Sam Mewis had moved to title challengers Manchester United and Manchester City respectively, it was a shock to see Morgan move to Spurs, who had finished seventh in their first WSL campaign.

Her move from Orlando Pride came about following the alteration of the 2020 National Women's Soccer League season amid the COVID-19 pandemic. As an allocated player in the NWSL, it is believed that US soccer pay Morgan's salary and therefore there was no fee involved.

While Morgan's move to join Spurs helped the club grow their exposure worldwide. It has taken her a while to get back to full fitness after giving birth to daughter Charlie in May 2020. Morgan made her debut as a substitute for Spurs in November in a 1-1 draw against Reading. She also featured in a League Cup tie against North London rivals Arsenal, but missed from the spot in a penalty shootout.

After a short stay in England, it was announced that Morgan would return to the United States to continue the next phase of her career.

Alex Morgan and Orlando Pride

After spending two-and-a-half years with Portland Thorns, Morgan joined Orlando Pride ahead of the team's first season in the National Women's Soccer League. As part of that deal with Portland Thorns, Morgan's new employers traded the rights to their first Expansion Draft pick, the first-round selection in the 2016 NWSL College Draft as well as an international roster spot for the next two seasons. Morgan scored four goals in her 15 appearances for the Pride, who finished ninth out of the 10 competing teams, while her former side Portland Thorns finished top at the end of the regular season.

In January 2017, Morgan decided to join Lyon for six months and she had no problems finding the back of the net with the French side. After scoring three goals in the quarter-finals of the French Cup, Morgan then hit four in the semis as Lyon went on to win the competition. This wasn't the only success though, as they completed a treble by also winning the league title and the Champions League.

Morgan chose to return to the Pride thereafter and she helped them achieve their highest regular season finish of third, while they also made the NWSL playoffs for the first time. Morgan and her teammates never quite managed to replicate that form over the next couple of seasons though.

Awards

Morgan has had an extremely well-decorated career and she still has time to build on her achievements. The striker has twice been named US Soccer Athlete of the Year, in 2012 and 2018, and she was voted ESPY Best Female Athlete in 2019. Morgan has also been named CONCACAF Player of the Year on four separate occasions, while earning a place in the FIFPro World 11 three times. Morgan was also voted into the US Soccer All-Time Women's National Team Best XI in 2013, at the age of just 24. She was runner-up in 2019's Best FIFA Women's Player award.

Personal life

Morgan grew up in California with her parents Pamela and Michael Morgan. She has two sisters called Jeni and Jeri. Morgan is married to American soccer player Servando Carrasco, who she first met during their time at the University of California. The pair got married on New Year's Eve 2014 and had their first child, Charlie, in May 2020.

In 2013, she released the first of her book series called 'The Kicks' which was written to inspire young girls to pursue their love for soccer. Morgan is a vegan and is involved with PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals). As well as being a UNICEF ambassador, Morgan signed up for the Common Goal campaign, meaning she would donate one per cent of her wages to charity. Morgan has also been involved in a dispute with US soccer alongside several of her international teammates over gender discrimination.

Reported net worth

Forbes placed Alex Morgan 10th on their 2020 list of the highest-paid female athletes, with Morgan earning $4.6million. Her on-field salary and bonuses for 2019 were in the region of $400,000, but the majority of her earnings throughout her career have come from sponsors and endorsements. Those include the likes of Nike, Panasonic, McDonald's and Coca-Cola. She was also one of the first female footballers to make an appearance on the front cover of a FIFA video game.