Megan Rapinoe wins World Cup golden treble: Champion, top scorer, best player award

It has been the summer of Megan Rapinoe. In so many ways, on soccer fields and off them. But most of all on them. And Rapinoe now has plenty of hardware to show for her brilliance.

Not only did she captain the U.S. to her second World Cup title and the nation’s fourth; she won awards for top scorer and best player at the 2019 tournament.

Rapinoe wins Golden Boot

Rapinoe won the Golden Boot via her decisive penalty in Sunday’s final. It was her fifth goal of the knockout stages, and sixth of the tournament, bringing her level with teammate Alex Morgan and England’s Ellen White in the goalscorer standings.

Her three assists lifted her above White. Morgan also had three, but Rapinoe tallied hers in fewer minutes played.

Morgan had the early lead after five goals against Thailand. Rapinoe only bagged one that day. But she converted two penalties against Spain in the Round of 16. She scored on an early free kick and again in the second half in a quarterfinal victory over France. After missing the semifinal with a hamstring injury, she ascended above Morgan and White in the final.

Rapinoe wins Golden Ball

Rapinoe also won the Golden Ball, awarded to the tournament’s best player, via a vote – and via common sense. She was the U.S. catalyst, the hero when it mattered most.

Rose Lavelle, the USWNT’s breakout star, won the Bronze Ball, with England’s Lucy Bronze, ironically, taking silver. And Lavelle, if you were putting odds on the 2023 Golden Ball race, would surely be the early favorite.

But for now, Rapinoe is on top of the mountain. She is soccer’s queen. The 2019 World Cup has propelled her to new heights. She will forever be an icon, for soccer reasons and many others.

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Henry Bushnell is a features writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Question? Comment? Email him at henrydbushnell@gmail.com, or follow him on Twitter @HenryBushnell, and on Facebook.