The legendary and unforgettable international career of former Florida Gators soccer star Abby Wambach officially ends Wednesday when Wambach suits up for the final time with the U.S. Women’s National Team to compete against China in a friendly hosted in New Orleans (8 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1).
The all-time international goal-scoring leader, who announced her pending retirement on Oct. 27, called her career an “amazing, wonderful ride.”
Wambach, a Gators forward from 1998-2001, lead Florida to a national title in 1998 and helped it win four-straight SEC Championships.
As a member of the U.S. Women’s National Team (2001-15), she scored 184 goals in 254 international appearances – tops all-time for either gender. Wambach is a two-time Olympic gold medalist (2004, 2012) with the Americans and provided endless highlights in the 2011 World Cup, helped the United States win the 2015 World Cup in her closing salvo.
Wambach’s greatest individual honor was being named the 2012 FIFA World Player of the Year; she was the first American woman to win the award in a decade.
Here’s Wambach’s final message to her fans …
… and here’s what Wambach’s teammates had to say ahead of her final game.
Congrats on a great career, Abby Wambach. For the goals you’ve scored & the kids you’ve inspired, you’re the GOAT! pic.twitter.com/Kud56ChsBO
— President Obama (@POTUS) December 16, 2015