US soccer star Megan Rapinoe has shared the secret to her loving and “normal” relationship with her basketball player girlfriend Sue Bird.
Rapinoe is co-captain of the United States women’s national team, and helped them achieve their World Cup win this year. Bird plays for WNBA’s Seattle Storm and has won four Olympic gold medals with the US basketball team.
The couple have been together for more than two years, after first meeting at the Rio Olympics in 2016.
But Rapinoe told People that while they “support each other” as athletes, the most important part of their relationship is that they are able to “totally unwind and be completely yourself”.
She said: “I think it is just the understanding of what we have to go through and the appreciation of, you know, each other’s skills and lives is really special.
“And in the same sense, we are just normal to each other. Which is really nice. Like, neither of us are like, ‘Oh wow you are the best person that has ever played basketball.’ Which she is!”
She continued: “It is nice to just be able to totally unwind and be completely yourself and, you know, have someone understand and appreciate how special it is, what you are doing, but also just love you for who you are and just to be that kind of support system. Honestly, it’s really nice.”
Megan Rapinoe, winner of the Generation Change award, and Sue Bird attend Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Sports 2019. (Neilson Barnard/KCASports2019/Getty Images for Nickelodeon)
Megan Rapinoe loves being a “WAG” to girlfriend Sue Bird.
She added that she’s happy to be on the sidelines when it comes to supporting Bird, and said she loves “being a WAG and a superfan”.
Rapinoe said: “We are huge fans of each other. I have become, like, a Seattle Storm number one superfan… I love being a WAG and a superfan.
“I think it’s AMAZING and to be able to, you know, watch your partner exceed and excel and be exactly who they are in a public forum. That’s pretty special.
“I am all into the games. I just think she is amazing, of course… Neither of us are jealous or weird about each other’s careers. We are just kind of there to support each other.”
Last month, Rapinoe was named FIFA’s Best Women’s Player in the World, and used her acceptance speech to call out the “rampant homophobia” LGBT+ players experience on the pitch.
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