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Reuters

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Reuters

Megan Rapinoe is arguably one of the best players to step foot in women’s football. During her decorated career, the 36-year-old won two FIFA Women’s World Cups and two Olympic medals, amongst several other honors.

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While her achievements are immense, those of her partner Sue Bird are no less. Many regard her as one of the greatest women’s basketball players. In her stellar career, she won a staggering five Olympic gold medals and four WNBA titles, amongst other honors. During a recent appearance, Rapinoe spoke about their first ever interaction.

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Megan Rapinoe reveals awkward first interaction with partner Sue Bird

While Rapinoe and Bird feature among the most successful Americans in their respective sports, they share an amazing relationship with each other. In fact, they form a power couple of sorts due to the stature they possess in soccer and basketball.

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The pair first met at the Rio Olympics five years ago, when they represented USA in their respective sports. Recently, Rapinoe recalled that interaction while mentioning how she felt embarrassed about her attempt at making an impression. She started with a joke, which went, “Are you getting ready for a game?”

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She spoke about that attempt, saying, “It didn’t go like I planned at all. I walked away like, ‘You’re an idiot.'” 

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READ MORE: I Got Really Lucky Because I Met Sue” – Megan Rapinoe Reveals How Fiancée Sue Bird Changed Her Life

Bird’s teammate Diana Taurasi recalls noticing the couple hitting it off

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Taurasi, who featured alongside Bird in the US women’s basketball team throughout her career, spoke about the interaction the latter had with Rapinoe after clinching gold in Rio. Although Rapinoe didn’t make an ideal first impression in her eyes, Taurasi noticed her teammate and the USWNT star getting along.

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She said, “It was on a ship, a big ballroom; there were a lot of people, and Sue would just gravitate right back to [Megan’s] table. I’ve seen Sue in a lot of bars, and I can tell when she’s on the prowl. I was just like, ‘Yep, there it is.'”

Following the Olympics, they started dating each other alongside playing at the highest level in sports. They got engaged on October 30, 2020.

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WATCH STORY: Megan Rapinoe, Usain Bolt and More: Athletes’ Younger Selves vs Now

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Sanket Nair

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Sanket Nair is an F1 & US Sports Author at EssentiallySports. He began following F1 since 2010, which made him an instant Sebastian Vettel fan. His favorite tracks on the calendar include Spa-Francorchamps, Monaco and Monza. When he's away from the keyboard, Sanket enjoys a short drive around town. He completed his Post-Graduation in Sports Management from Jain University, Bengaluru.

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