Speaking of a hilarious image taken at the worst time possible during some aquatic athletics, we have this one right here. We’re assuming this was taken right before they dived into the water or something, which is why they are making those faces. Gasping in that air, we assume?

The freaky poses are also something that must be the result of catching the athletes in motion. Stop to see every individual pose a human makes as they move around, and you’d be surprised how many weird things you end up seeing.

Lots of strange things go down in wrestling. However, we’re not sure how a situation like this would come about. Was this actually an accident? Was this intentional, for some completely insane reason? Both options sound crazy to us.

Regardless, you can find humor in the situation as well as confusion. Whatever these athletes are up to, intentional or not, deserves some raised eyebrows at the least.

There are few things that make you look as silly as holding a sign the wrong way. Everyone sees it, everyone sees you being oblivious to the fact that you are holding it wrong, and ultimately, you just look really silly.

In fact, we would say the oblivious nature of a person in such pictures is the most embarrassing part of all. So naive, so innocent: not even realizing that everyone is giggling at them, or just being clueless as to why everyone is laughing.

Gymnasts and acrobats may be equal to figure skaters in regards to gracefulness while performing, but just like all other athletes, they mess up too. They may make it look easy, but rarely is it actually as simple as it appears!

Even the best gymnasts fall off the balance beam from time to time, it’s just that only a few of them manage to hang on after they fall off, and that looks pretty funny to laymen like us.

In a game that is mostly about throwing legs and around and kicking balls, something like this is bound to happen eventually. We all know about the weird penchant for soccer players to fake injuries, but when something like this happens, it probably isn’t fake at all.

We’re pretty sure this was an accident, and we know we shouldn’t laugh at men suffering from something like this, but we have to admit, the image is pretty hilarious. We just can’t help ourselves.

One of the most important pieces of equipment in any and all sports is the one that keeps a male player’s important bits safe. Why? For reasons such as this, of course. You never know when a ball is just going to fly right into an unintended location.

Even the best pitcher makes mistakes sometimes, and in such situations, you are much better off wearing the gear designed to counter this! One way or another, we manage to get a pretty funny picture out of it.

This picture is an example of things that look hilarious only because they look like something else entirely. We’re assuming that no one intended to actually punch this poor baseball player. At least, it would be pretty crazy if a fan just wanted to punch one out for no reason.

It was probably just an unfortunate accident that ended up having this player get punched in the face, but one way or another, it ended up being pretty funny to see.

Running track is probably not a sport that many people imagine to be dangerous, but accidents happen fairly often. Unfortunately for the athletes, some of those accidents happen to be hilarious. That’s fortunate for us, of course.

After all, we end up getting up this hilarious picture of some unknown athlete smacking into a hurdle face first. We feel for them, but can’t help but laugh. At least athletes can wipe away shame by performing better next time.

For all the hand-eye coordination that good athletes have, even they miss the ball sometimes. And when that happens, the ball could easily hit you in the face. And if that happens, the athlete may make a very hilarious face.

We don’t want to mock someone that got beaned in the face by a volleyball, but remember kids: pain is always funny as long as it doesn’t happen to you!

Basketball includes a whole lot of dunking, although most of it is physical. Even so, a lot of it can be metaphorical instead. Situations such as this one are of the metaphorical variety, and we don’t think it needs too much explanation.

Considering how much jumping is involved in basketball, we assume this is the sport with the highest risk of this kind of thing happening. A very unfortunate hazard that goes along with the territory.

With all the jumping and running around athletes have to do, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that they take tumbles every once in a while. Such embarrassing falls usually lead to some pretty funny things for folks like us to laugh at.

Not that we have too much room to laugh, since those athletes are often doing something that we couldn’t possibly hope to match. Still, it’s alright to laugh about things like this as long as you respect their abilities at the same time.

There are plenty of humiliating accidents in cycling as well. In fact, such incidents can be super humiliating, because most of them are caused by the mistake of one person. Imagine being the cyclist that crashed, then caused the pileup you see here!

That’s the price one pays for being ahead of other cyclists and messing up. No one is going to notice if you are in the back and you make this mistake. Athletes that are in the limelight are that much more humiliated when things go wrong.

Figure skaters are, compared to most athletes, viewed as the most graceful of their kind. In a way, that makes it even more humiliating when they make a clumsy mistake. Unfortunately, even figure skaters experience these types of things from time to time.

We’re not quite sure what happened here: maybe the figure skater just lost control and couldn’t stop themselves. Either way, we’re sure they had a tough time living this down.

Speaking of figure skaters and their occasional but hilarious flops, here’s this one, which looks a lot like someone dancing in the ’70s. The look on her face really says it all: she knows she has messed up and is freaking out about the result.

The moment afterward is probably when she felt incredibly embarrassed about flopping over in front of that big audience. We’re laughing at this funny picture, but honestly, we do feel kind of bad for her. Nobody would want to be in her shoes at that moment.

Falling over when running on the track is always bad, but where you fall can be a big contributor to exactly how bad that is. It’s kind of like that cycling one we talked about: falling in the back isn’t so bad, but falling in the lead is a recipe for disaster!

This poor track runner seems to have flopped right in front of a bunch of runners behind her, which seems like a bad situation. Also kind of funny, but bad. Hopefully, all those athletes managed to leap over her, or she rolled out of the way pretty quickly.

You know, there’s something unsettling about the fact that people find humor in the pain of others. You see something that looks really bad, and you laugh instead o being worried. But it’s fine as long as the person you’re laughing at was actually fine, right?

This little flop on the ice certainly looks bad, but not to worry: this athlete was just fine. And that means we can all laugh at her great misfortune because we’re bad people. Hooray!

Honestly, we’re not sure what’s happening in this picture. We’re assuming it’s just one of those things where you catch a picture of people at a very inopportune time. You’d be surprised at how many stupid faces people accidentally make as they go about their business.

In fact, many people make really silly faces when they are making some sort of intense effort, and that means a lot of athletes end up making silly faces. Well, even they can laugh at things like this, right?

Despite the excellent dexterity of pro athletes, sometimes the ball just ends up somewhere you weren’t intending. And sometimes, those unintended positions make for extremely hilarious-looking photos. That said, the guy on the left doesn’t look too happy.

Of course, he also seems to be taking that basketball right to a very sensitive place, so there’s no mystery as to why he might be unhappy. Well, his misery is our humor, and that’s all that matters.

Considering how much this guy has to squat during a baseball game, it’s really a wonder that this kind of thing doesn’t happen more often, don’t you think? The real problem is, would they really stop a match just so he could change his pants? Or would they have a replacement for him?

One way or another, this is a classic humiliating scenario for anyone, but it’s much worse for an athlete in this position: all the eyes are already on him, so it’s not like anyone could have missed it!

The most embarrassing thing about this photo is that you can see that this poor guy attempted to kick the ball. We’re just not sure if he missed entirely or if he accidentally kicked it into his own face. Maybe the mystery actually makes it even funnier.

On an unrelated note, isn’t it crazy how far the nose can bend without actually breaking or anything? It’s a wonder how that guy’s face could look like that in this picture, but probably be fine ultimately.

Speaking of balls to the face, it’s a wonder how quick human reaction time is: even with that baseball flying at dozens of miles an hour, there’s enough time for athletes to make silly faces like this one. Unfortunately, there’s generally not enough time to get out of the way.

We actually feel a little bad about laughing at this, because getting hit in the face by a baseball at high speed definitely hurts a great deal. But then again, insensitivity is a crucial part of getting a laugh out of some things.

This is one of the few images we have that are hilarious, and not because someone is getting hurt. In fact, we’re not sure what led to this extremely odd and funny picture. Is this how this game is played? Are you supposed to do sick ninja kicks in this sport?

Or, are they just getting wild with it because they can? One way or another, these two athletes got caught doing something really weird in a photo.

Sports where athletes are likely to make physical contact with each other always lead to some wacky and hilarious photos. Most of them are accidents, but there are also a lot of athletes that get intentionally physical with other players.

That said, we’d be confused about the purpose of pinching your opponent’s face while in the middle of the game. Maybe he’s just really unhappy that he doesn’t have the ball, but is this the best way to get it? Or even a legal way?

There’s always a desired end result when athletes are doing their thing. However, it’s a toss-up as to whether or not that end result actually happens, or if you go down in a flame of tragic but hilarious glory. You can probably tell which one this is.

We hope he’s OK, assuming that he hit his chin on that bar. Who knows, maybe he actually didn’t hit it in any bad way, and this image is just super misleading. Funny, but misleading.

Usually, it’s the male lifting the female in skating, simply based on physical strength, which makes it an easier prospect for them. Of course, that doesn’t mean it always goes that way. Sometimes this happens.

We actually think that this picture was taken in the midst of a fancy move and that no disaster actually occurred. But at the same time, it looks like the woman is piledriving this poor guy into the ice, or trying to clean it with his hair. And you know, that thought is pretty funny.

When you are extremely focused on your sport, it can be easy to lose control of your facial expressions. This tennis player was so focused on hitting the ball that she didn’t realize that her tension and stress could be easily seen on her face.

Her clenched teeth and furrowed eyebrows were on full display as she tried her best to hit the ball. While this may not be her best look, we’re sure that fans were more concerned about her athletic ability.

When you’ve been playing sports or doing another intense activity for extended periods of time, it can be easy to develop a less-than-pleasant body odor. Though sweat is usually blamed for body odor, it is actually the bacteria on our skin that causes the smell.

As bacteria break down the acids found in sweat, they produce a strong and often unpleasant odor. This picture looks like this basketball player is asking the other player to make sure his deodorant is working.

When you’re a professional soccer player, there’s always a risk that your opponent or even teammate may mistake you for the ball. This perfectly-timed photo shows a soccer player feeling the wrath of his opponent.

It seems like this photograph was able to capture this player trying to bump the ball with his chest as the other player tries to kick it at the same time. Either way, we feel bad for the player in the dark blue jersey. This just looks painful!

When most people think about pantsing or depantsing, they think of a school bully or a silly prank. This rugby player decided to take this old-school move from the schoolyard to the rugby pitch. The result? A hilarious picture featuring a rugby player almost losing his shorts.

While we’re no experts when it comes to the rules of rugby, pulling someone’s shorts down just seems wrong. Perhaps these players will consider wearing two pairs of shorts to future games.

Simone Biles may be the most decorated U.S. women’s gymnast in history, but she’s still capable of taking some less-than-flattering photographs. This photograph shows Biles rotating in the air in a gymnastics move called the twisting Yurchenko vault.

This gravity-defying move makes it look like the gymnast was launched from a cannon. While the daring move had audiences and judges holding their breath, it seems that Biles was equally nervous.

Water polo is often described as one of the most difficult sports in the world. Players must keep themselves afloat as they try to score goals by throwing the ball into the other team’s goal.

Playing this physically strenuous game can leave players feeling a bit exhausted, like this player in the photo. He looks like he’s ready to hit the hay, not the ball. With all of that treading water, we don’t blame him!

Spanish professional tennis player, Rafael Nadal, is known for his serving skills on the court. However, there is another on-court activity that he is famous for – picking his wedgies.

Nadal is known to routinely adjust his underwear and shorts in between games, regardless of who’s watching. His wedgie picking even led to GQ magazine to ask the tennis player why he must adjust so frequently. Nadal’s answer? “I cannot change.”

While many people consider ping-pong or table tennis to be a fun pastime, it is actually a real sport. In fact, table tennis was officially made an Olympic sport in 1988. When played competitively, ping-pong is a fast-paced sport that requires the player to focus on both the ball and the opponent’s moves.

It is this extreme level of concentration that probably led to this funny face made by a competitive ping-pong player.

Most people would be surprised to know that North Korea is home to some of the world’s most talented Olympic weightlifters. Rim Jong-sim is one of the country’s most successful athletes. In 2012, she took home the gold medal in the women’s 69-kilogram category, during the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Considering Jong-sim was hoisting about 152 pounds over her head, it’s no surprise that she made this hilarious face. The sheer momentum of lifting this heavy weight even caused her hair to stand upright!

Hockey players aren’t exactly known for their perfect smiles. Though some players choose to wear a mouth guard or other form of facial protection, many simply accept that broken or lost teeth are just part of the game.

Between rogue pucks, collisions with aggressive players, or ill-fated interactions with hockey sticks, trauma to teeth is all too common in this sport. Luckily, this hockey player has turned his injury into a special party trick.

Some sports, like basketball, are not for the faint of heart. During these intense games, things can get pretty physical between players. In this particularly fierce game during the 2020 Summer Olympics, American basketball player Allisha Gray had no qualms about pushing her Japanese opponent out of the way.

While some may see this as aggressive, Gray’s moves helped the United States take home the win in the basketball game against Japan.

While wrestlers are known for their roughness, this photo also shows that they have a more sensitive side. Most wrestling matches begin with the two contestants facing each other while still standing. At the blow of the referee’s whistle and command of “wrestle”, the two hit the mat and begin their match.

This perfectly-timed photo shows these two wrestlers who look like they are about to dance the waltz, not engage in a violent full-contact sport.

Picking the perfect costume for an Olympic event can be difficult. Even after you’ve chosen the perfect outfit, your choice in fashion may cause an unforeseen fashion emergency. This German ice dancer thought that this emerald gown would wow the judges and complement her smooth moves on the ice.

Unfortunately, the flowy fabric of the dress ended up covering her partner’s face during one of their routines. Luckily, ice dancers Alexander Gazsi and partner Nelli Zhiganshina, haven’t let this dress disaster keep them from their sport.

Rugby can be a rough and full-contact sport, that doesn’t mean rugby players aren’t capable of showing a bit of tenderness now and then. These two female rugby players were both trying to make a play for the ball when their faces collided, resulting in this picture.

Rugby may have started in England, but the sport has become popular across the world. While this picture may be funny, we hope that these two players are okay.

While most professional tennis players are household names, their success is often due to other, and less popular, members on the court. Ball girls, or ball peop;e, are people who assist tennis games by quickly collecting and supplying balls to the players.

While these behind-the-scenes heroes are well-trained and prepared for any scenario, nothing could have prepared this ball girl from experiencing the shock of having a tennis player fall on her. In 2009, this young ball girl was taken by surprise when French tennis star, Michael Llodra accidentally fell on her.

While no one likes a sore loser, an ungracious or bragging winner is just as bad. This photo was taken of Argentinian soccer player Carlos Tevez, as he seemingly mocked the other team or gloated about scoring.

This gesture caused him to be dubbed by one Italian news outlet as “the pied piper.” While the pied piper may have attracted rodents with his pipe, Tevez’s talent has collected trophies and awards.

With so much going on during a soccer game, it can be easy to lose sight of the ball – even when it’s right in front of you. This soccer player was trying to kick the ball past a goalkeeper in order to score a goal for his team.

Unfortunately, he missed the ball and kicked the goalkeeper’s face.  As if a swift kick to the face wasn’t painful enough, the soccer player was wearing cleats lined with sharp pieces of metal.

Rhythmic gymnastics is a unique sport in which gymnasts use props such as hoops, balls, ribbons and other items to enhance their performance. Their routines combine gymnastics with dance, set to music. Gymnasts may include leaping, contortion, and perfectly timed dance moves in their routines.

One popular prop that rhythmic gymnasts use is a ball, like this Bulgarian gymnast, Silviya Miteva. Miteva’s flexibility, combined with this photographer’s skills, make it look like her head has been replaced by a silver ball.

Professional football is a rough sport, but it can be equally tough on your clothing. Between grass and sweat stains, it’s difficult for professional football players to keep their clothes looking their best.

This player, Detroit Lions running back Ameer Abdullah, had the limits of his shirt tested when an opponent grabbed hold of his top during a game. While we’re sure that the shirt had to be thrown out after the game, the extreme stretchiness of the fabric is pretty impressive.

It’s every athlete’s dream to take part in the Olympic games. While it can be great to have most of the world watching as you compete, it can also be embarrassing.

Polish Olympic handball player, Karol Bielecki, realized that all having that many eyes on him wasn’t a good thing when he accidentally fell into the goalie’s net during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. We’re sure he didn’t appreciate having his blunder broadcasted to the world.

Though most people think of ping pong or table tennis as a recreational sport, it is actually recognized as an Olympic sport. Unlike the ping pong games played at home or for fun, these competitors take the game seriously.

This photo shows just how concentrated Team China’s Liu Shiwen is as the ball appears near her face. This photo from the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games looks almost as if someone photoshopped a picture of a ping pong ball onto her eye!

For a sport with the name “hand” in it, this handball competition features a lot of foot action! This perfectly timed photo shows the Russian and Brazilian women’s handball teams duking it out at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

In the photo, Brazilian player, Bruna de Paula manages to jump high enough to grab the ball. Unfortunately, her quick ascent resulted in a Russian player getting hit in the face with her foot.

Indian wrestler, Vinesh Phogat, is one of the most celebrated female athletes in the world. Not only is she a champion wrestler, but she has made many strides in terms of female representation in the world of wrestling.

That said, she has also been the feature of several funny and perfectly-timed photos. This photo, taken during a match against Swedish wrestler Sofia Mattsson, makes it look as if she is holding onto her opponent and begging them not to leave.

Though it is often overlooked, figure skating is one of the most difficult and intense Olympic sports. This competitive sport requires athletes to maneuver their bodies into graceful and intricate movements all while balancing on slippery ice.

This photo, shows Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva executing a quadruple jump at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games. Not only did she make history as the first woman to do so in Olympic competition, but she actually did it twice!

When most people think of synchronized swimmers, we think of old-fashioned pools and floral swim caps. This picture, however, looks more like a scary mythological figure emerging from the water.

We don’t know if it’s the swimmer’s intense look or the wall of water around her, but this definitely looks like a scene from a fantasy movie and less like a scene from a sports competition. The theatrical makeup doesn’t help either!

There are many times when we hold our breath without even realizing it – these moments can be when we’re stressed, excited, or overwhelmed emotionally.

According to some experts, there is some medical benefit to athletes holding their breath, especially in sports that require large amounts of effort for just a short period of time. Perhaps that is what this tennis player is doing in this photo – holding her breath as she makes her next move.

We can’t imagine how stressful being an Olympic athlete must be. It’s not surprising that all of that stress and obsession over basketball might get inside your head.

While basketball is certainly on Serbian player, Aleksander Ratkov’s mind, it also seems to have taken over his head. This perfectly-timed photo of Ratkov playing against China’s Olympic basketball team makes it seem as if his head was replaced by a basketball.

Watching a gymnastics competition can leave you shocked as you see just how flexible the human body can be. American artistic gymnast, Lauren Hernandez, appears to be made out of rubber as she bends over backward on the balance beam during the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games.

In this perfectly-timed photo, it seems that not only is her body bending backward, but even her eyes also seem to be rolling back!

Most of us remember the first time we attempted to jump into a pool or other deep body of water. German gymnast, Marcel Nguyen, looks like most of us when we’re unsure about jumping in.

In the photo, Nguyen is mid-competition on the parallel bars during the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games. Before retiring recently due to an injury, Nguyen won two European gold medals and a silver Olympic medal in the parallel bars category.

Though most people assume that the most commonly used body parts in soccer are feet or legs, many players actually use their head to hit the ball in a move known as “heading”.

Though this move can help teams score, it does not come without risk. Concussions in soccer are far more common than people think, there is also the risk of two players colliding heads. We’re not sure exactly what happened to these two soccer players, but we’re sure it was painful!

Most people typically associate sponges with car washes or luxury baths. It turns out, however, that sponges are also often used to wipe the sweat off of athletes or help make them feel cooler in between competitions.

Though we’re sure this make-shift sponge bath feels cool and refreshing, Chinese boxer Zhao Minggang seems a bit shocked to be sprayed with the mist. Photographers were able to capture his surprised reaction during the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games.

As we move, our body parts including our muscles and bones sometimes move in different directions. Though these movements are happening under our skin, they can result in some pretty funny facial expressions or movements.

This tennis player went to hit the ball with his racket, but it seems like his facial muscles also moved, resulting in this contorted facial expression. Though his body and face seem to be moving one way, his t-shirt is going in another direction.

Even Olympic cyclists are no match against mother nature. Dutch cyclist, Mathieu van der Poel, learned this lesson the hard way as captured in this photograph.

During the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Van der Poel crashed his bicycle in the first lap while attempting a rock jump called the Sakura Drop. Though Van der Poel was able to heal from his fall, he was forced to take a break from competitive cycling.

Though weightlifting has traditionally been a male-dominated sport, many women are now competing on a professional level. Mercedes Pérez, a Colombian weightlifter, has competed in multiple Olympic games. This picture was taken during the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

As Pérez typically competes in the 63 kg division, she is lifting almost 140 pounds in this photo – an amount close to her own body weight! No wonder she looks like she’s trying hard to concentrate!

Though few people are familiar with the sport of handball, many people recognize this now-viral image of Danish handball goalkeeper, Althea Reinhardt. This photo was taken shortly after the game between the French national team and Denmark’s team began at the World Cup semi-finals.

Naturally, Reinhardt had to step off the pitch following her dramatic injury. Fortunately, she was able to get back into the game after a short period of time. Unfortunately for the goalkeeper, this embarrassing and painful moment was immortalized forever as a graffiti mural in Copenhagen.

We’re actually inclined to call this moment terrifying more so than hilarious, but there is a sense of humor to be had here if you really don’t mind a bit of dark humor at the expense of someone’s pants.

Don’t worry, he definitely survived this, but oddly enough, this kind of thing actually happens a lot more often than you would think. That thought really just makes motocross seem even scarier, but we suppose some people are just thrill-seekers.

Lots of funny photos are of this variety. Things are going pretty well, and a photo gets taken right before they aren’t going so well. And yes, this business with dogs is a real sport, before anyone asks.

Regardless, this photo is pretty hilarious if only because we all know the dichotomy between everything going well and impending doom. We gotta ask though, what did she ask that dog to do that it reacted like this? Or does it just have very bad aim?

One of the reasons athletes can be embarrassed so easily is because they are constantly compared to other athletes. And if those other athletes don’t mess up and you do, you look all the more silly. It’s only fine if everyone messes up together!

So unfortunately for this track runner, being the sole athlete to flop like this doesn’t do a whole lot for her image in that moment. Doesn’t help that there is no way to recover and catch up for a win in such a situation.

We’ve made it no secret that awkwardness from graceful athletes is more humorous than anything else. Synchronized swimming falls securely into that field since it is by its nature intended to be very graceful. This image is… hilarious, more than anything resembling graceful.

Have you ever paused an animated movie or show in a transition frame, resulting in a totally wacky screenshot no one was ever meant to see? This is kind of like that, isn’t it?

What are the first names that come to mind when you think of soccer? Perhaps Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, or if you’re an old school at heart, Pelé or Beckenbauer? But did you know, there’s a player, here in the US, who has won several World Cups and Olympic gold medals for Team US? She is Alex Morgan – jersey number 13. Let’s take a look at her journey to success.

Alex Morgan was born to Pamela and Michael in the Los Angeles County suburb called San Dimas in California on July 2, 1989. She was raised in the nearby suburb of Diamond Bar, along with her two older sisters, Jeni and Jeri.

Since her childhood, she has had an interest in sports. Although her professional soccer career started late compared to her peers, she had been playing for AYSO (American Youth Soccer Organization) from an early age with her father as one of the coaches.

Although Alex had been involved with sports since her childhood, her beginnings in soccer were quite late. She began playing club soccer at the age of 14 when she joined Cypress Elite, a soccer club now known as FC Premier.

Alex found tremendous success whilst playing for her club team. With Cypress Elite, she won the Coast Soccer League (CSL) under-16 championship and was placed third in the under-19 championship.

Alex Morgan attended Diamond Bar High School and played for their soccer team as well. At school, she was known for her sprinting ability and speed. During her time at her high school soccer club, she was a three-time all-league pick.

Alex later recalled that during her high school days, her dad would train with her. He worked out with her three times a week and acted as the goalkeeper during her shooting practice. Both her parents supported her soccer career.

Alex was also called into the Olympic Development Program (ODP) regional and state teams during her high school years. According to Alex, the program helped her immensely in her development as a soccer player, as she started so late in her career.

The fruits of her training regime turned out to be pretty sweet. She was called into the United States under-20 women’s national team when she was only 17. However, a terrible injury ended up stunting her progress.

Alex Morgan was called into the United States under-20 women’s national team at 17. However, during a scrimmage against the men’s junior national team, Alex sustained a serious injury in her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).

Alex later described the moment as a turning point in her life. She struggled emotionally and missed most of her senior season due to rehab. She had to wait another year before being called up to the junior team again in April 2008.

Alex Morgan does not dominate stadiums alone, she dominated classrooms as well. A college girl – Alex Morgan attended the University of California, Berkley where she graduated a semester early in 2010.

At college, she represented California Golden Bears, the soccer program of UC Berkley. She was the leading goal-scorer for her team in her freshman year, and is the all-time third-highest scorer in California history – mostly due to missed matches because of her national team commitments.

After her recovery from her ACL injury, Morgan was again called up in the under-20 women’s national team in 2008. Her first appearance was in the 2008 CONCACAF Women’s U-20 Championship, which was held in Puebla, Mexico.

Her debut match was against Cuba, which the United States won with a stunning 9-0 victory. Morgan scored her first international goal in that match, only 2 minutes into the game. The United States team eventually moved to the finals where they lost to Canada.

Following her impressive performance in Mexico, Morgan was subsequently named in the roster for the 2008 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, which was to be held in Chile. Morgan scored three goals in the group stages, including a pair against Argentina.

She scored another goal against North Korea in the finals, ensuring a US victory. The goal was voted as the best goal of the tournament, and FIFA’s second-best goal of the year. She also won a Bronze Shoe being the third-highest scorer, and a Silver Ball, making her the second best player in the tournament.

Her performances in the U-20 World Cup and for her college team, California Golden Bears, caught the interest of the senior team soon enough. She was called up in the US national team in 2010, and first appeared as a substitute in a match versus Mexico in March.

She would have to wait a bit longer for her first international goal, however. Her first international goal came when she entered the field as a substitute in a match against China in October 2010, which ended in 1-1 draw.

Alex Morgan was a consistent player in the national team, and her most important goal in her career soon followed her debut. The match was held in November 2010 and was the first leg of a playoff that would determine the final spot in the 2011 Women’s World Cup.

In the crucial match against Italy, Morgan came on to the field in the 86th minute. She scored the only goal in the match in the fourth minute of added extra time, confirming a US victory and paving the way to the World Cup.

Morgan graduated from Berkley in December 2010, with a degree in Political Economics. Shortly afterward, she was the first overall pick by the soccer club Western New York Flash in the 2011 WPS (Women’s Professional Soccer) College Draft.

She shined on the field with her new club as well. Her first game with Flash was against Atlanta Beat in May 2011, where she contributed a goal in the 3-0 victory. The Flash went on to win the season title as well as the WPS Championship title, with Morgan scoring four goals in 14 matches.

At only 22 years of age, Morgan was the youngest player to represent the United States in the 2011 Women’s World Cup that was held in Germany. Morgan scored her first World Cup goal in the semi-final against France, giving the US a 3-1 lead in the 82nd minute.

She also performed in the final match against Japan, scoring a goal in the 69th minute after coming on as a substitute. She also assisted her teammate Abby Wambach in the 104th minute of the extra time – making her the first player to score both a goal and an assist in a World Cup final. However, the match resulted in heartbreak – with Japan securing the trophy in a penalty shoot-out.

The WPS suspended operations in early 2012 due to legal and financial issues. Soon afterward, Morgan left New York Flash and joined Seattle Sounders Women, which was already star-studded with national team players like Sydney Leroux and Hope Solo.

Morgan was excited to play for a new club, but she missed several matches due to her national team commitments, which was preparing for the 2012 Summer Olympics. In her 253 minutes on the pitch in three season appearances, Morgan scored two goals and two assists.

The 2012 Summer Olympics was held in London, the United Kingdom, during July and August. In the first match against France, the United States secured a victory of 4-2. Morgan scored two goals in the match, including the equalizer and the goal that confirmed the victory.

Morgan assisted the match-winning goals in the subsequent three matches, including two to her teammate Abby Wambach. In the semi-final match against Canada, she scored the match-winning goal in the 123rd minute during the extra time, the latest goal ever by a member of the US women’s team.

The United States faced Japan in the final match of the Women’s soccer tournament of the 2012 Olympic Games – the same contender to whom they lost the 2011 World Cup. However, the Americans came off victorious this time – defeating Japan by 2-1.

Although Morgan did not score in the final match, she assisted a Carli Lloyd header. At the end of the tournament, she had three goals, four assists, and ten points to her name.

The Olympics gold medal was not the only success that Morgan received that year. She had a total of 28 goals, 21 assists, 77 points, and nine multi-goal matches to her name at the end of the year. She joined the legendary Mia Hamm to be the only player to have a record of at least 20 goals and 20 assists the same calendar year.

Her dazzling performances were met with personal achievements as well. U.S. Soccer named her the 2012 Female Athlete of the Year. She was also nominated for the FIFA Ballon d’Or, in which she finished third.

Alex Morgan moved to Portland Thorns FC in 2013 for the inaugural season of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) through the NWSL player allocation. She was joined by two of her national teammates – Christine Sinclair and Rachel Buehler.

Her first season in Portland was spectacular. In the team’s home-opener, she scored her first goal, securing their victory over Seattle Reign by 2-1. She scored a total of eight goals and 21 assists for Portland during the season, helping the club finish third.

Morgan played for a total of three seasons for Portland Thorns FC – from 2013 to 2015. In the second season, Morgan played under the new coach Paul Riley. She appeared in 15 matches and scored six goals for her club. Portland finished third in the league championship again.

Morgan’s appearances were far less frequent in 2015, due to her national team commitments for the 2015 Women’s World Cup. She only appeared in four matches, scoring one goal against Washington Spirits, which resulted in a 3-3 tie.

Morgan may not have shined for Portland Thorns in the later seasons, but the same cannot be said for her national team appearances. In the 2013 Algarve Cup, Morgan led the scoreboard with three goals and four assists to her name. She was shortlisted in FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year for the third time in 2013 and was named CONCACAF 2013 Female Player of the Year.

Morgan returned from an ankle injury in 2014 and subsequently scored five goals in seven matches for the US women’s national team. She reinjured her ankle during the 2014 CONCACAF Women’s Championship, which ruled her out of the tournament.

Morgan’s start in the World Cup was uncertain, as she suffered from a knee injury shortly beforehand. She made her first start in the 2015 Women’s World Cup in Canada against Nigeria, which the US won by 1-0.

The United States women’s team went on to move to the finals and defeated Japan by 5-2 to win its third title. On a personal level, Morgan did not perform up to the mark in the tournament. She only scored one goal against Colombia in the round of 16, despite appearing in all seven matches.

In October 2015, Portland Thorns FC announced the trade of Alex Morgan and her teammate, Kaylyn Kyle to Orlando Pride, an expansion team. Morgan’s start in Orlando Pride was not satisfactory. She appeared in 15 matches for Pride in 2016, scoring only four goals.

Orlando Pride performed poorly in the league championship as well. They finished the season with six wins, one draw, and 13 losses – causing them to finish in the ninth position.

In January 2016, Morgan played her 100th match for the US women’s national team in a friendly against the Republic of Ireland. She contributed to the 5-0 win with a goal and an assist.

She shined amazingly during the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifiers. In a 5-0 victory against Costa Rica, she scored a goal only 12 seconds into the match – the fastest ever in the national team’s history. She also scored a hat-trick against Trinidad & Tobago and was named in the best XI of the tournament.

The 2016 Summer Olympics, which was held in Rio, Brazil, did not turn out to be a good one for the US women’s national team. The team had a promising start and reached the quarter-finals where they took on Sweden.

Morgan scored two goals during the competition – in a group match against New Zealand, and the equalizer against Sweden. However, she missed the penalty in the quarter-finals as well, which contributed to the loss of the match.

In January 2017, whilst still playing for Orlando Pride, Morgan signed for a loan to the French club Olympique Lyonnais, also known as Lyon, for $33,000 per month. During her 2016/17 season in France, she appeared in a total of 16 appearances for Lyon, and scored 12 goals.

She scored five goals in eight matches in the league championship. But she stood out in the French cup, scoring seven goals in only three matches, including four goals and two assists in the semi-final match against Hénin-Beaumont.

Morgan also played for Lyon in the UEFA Women’s Champion’s League, the prestigious continental cup for clubs in Europe. Morgan appeared in five matches in the tournament, including the Champion’s League Final against Paris Saint-Germain.

However, during the final match, she was subbed off only 23 minutes into the game due to a hamstring injury. Following her rehabilitation, she returned to play for Orlando, scoring nine goals in 14 matches, with Orlando finishing the season with 11 wins.

Morgan’s contract with Lyon allowed her to return to Orlando in 2018, but at the end of the 2016/17 season, she decided against it. She terminated her contract with Lyon in September 2017 and announced that she would be available for Orlando the entire 2018 season.

At present, she is still playing for Orlando Pride. In the 2018 season, Morgan scored five goals in her 19 appearances for Pride, and in 2019, she appeared in six matches but failed to score.

In March 2016, Alex competed in the SheBelieves Cup, an invitational four-team women’s soccer tournament that was held in the US. The United States national team won all three matches and was announced the champion. Morgan won the Golden Boot and the MVP award in the tournament.

After her extraordinary performance in the Olympic qualifiers, Morgan’s success suffered a bit – though it was still impressive. In 2017, she scored seven goals in her 14 appearances for the national team. In 2018, she appeared in 19 matches and scored 18 goals in total.

Besides her amazing performance on the field, Alex Morgan is a true leader as well. In 2018, during the 2019 World Cup qualifying camp, Alex Morgan was named as a co-captain along with her teammates Carli Lloyd and Megan Rapinoe by the U.S national team head coach Jill Ellis.

Captaincy is nothing new to Morgan, though. She had been wearing the armband for several months before the official announcement, only conceding it to Lloyd when she was called off the field.

The 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup was the eighth edition of a tournament and held in nine cities in France. The US women’s national team started on the right foot, thrashing Thailand with a 13-0 victory. Morgan scored five goals in that match and assisted in three.

Morgan scored another goal against England in the semi-finals, and the US went on to win the cup defeating the Netherlands by 2-0. Morgan was the highest goal-scorer of the tournament, along with teammate Megan Rapinoe and English forward Ellen White. She won the Silver Boot, losing out to Rapinoe based on fewer minutes played.

Soccer dictates Morgan’s life – both on and off-field. On December 31, 2014, Alex Morgan married Servando Carrasco, a midfielder who currently plays for the MLS club LA Galaxy. Carrasco and Morgan had met during her college years when they both played for UC Berkley.

The wedding Carrasco and Morgan hosted was pretty unique. The couple celebrated Carrasco’s Mexican heritage, serving guests a Mexican-American dinner and included homemade churros and a quesadilla bar.

In October 2019, Alex Morgan announced her pregnancy and hoped to return in time to play for the United States in the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. She would have missed out on part of the 2020 season due to her pregnancy.

However, both the club championship and the Olympics were postponed due to the 2020 pandemic. Alex gave birth to her daughter Charlie Elena Carrasco on May 7, 2020 – only three days before Mother’s day.

Alex Morgan has always been an outspoken voice against gender discrimination, especially when it comes to equal pay. In 2016, she was one of the five players who filed a wage-discrimination action against U.S. Soccer – stating that women earn only a quarter of men’s wages, despite earning more revenue.

A second lawsuit was filed against U.S. Soccer due to gender discrimination in March 2019 by 28 athletes of the US women’s soccer national team. The co-captain’s name was the first on the list amongst the 28 players.

If you’re still not impressed by Alex Morgan, you’ll be surprised to know she is a writer too! In 2012, Alex signed a deal with Simon & Schuster for a four-book series called The Kicks, aimed at middle schoolers.

The book series followed the journey of four young girls, focussing on themes such as friendship and soccer. Based on the books, a ten-episode television series was also released by the same name on Amazon Instant Video in 2015.

Alex Morgan has been widely active on mainstream media, encouraging young girls to take up soccer and other sports. Besides authoring The Kicks, she also starred as herself in the fantasy-sports comedy called Alex & Me.

The film follows Reagan Willis, a 13-year old aspiring soccer star trying to make it to the number one soccer club in the state. The film was poorly received by the critics, but it remains an inspiration to many aspiring female soccer players worldwide.

Besides her inspiring work in media related to soccer, Alex also starred in several other popular shows and videos. In 2011, she co-starred in a commercial promoting ESPN’s SportsCenter with her teammate, Hope Solo. She also appeared in the ESPN documentary series, Nine for IX.

Alex Morgan’s likeness, along with that of teammates Abby Wambach and Christen Press, appeared on a The Simpsons episode that aired in 2015. Morgan also makes an appearance in the music video for “Girls Like You” – a popular song by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B.

In June 2015, Time magazine named Morgan to be the highest-paid American women’s soccer player. This was attributed to her endorsement deals with several popular businesses including Nike, Panasonic, AT&T, and McDonald’s.

Morgan also worked as a brand ambassador for GNC, a health product company, along with national teammate Heather Mitts. She has appeared in commercials for Bridgestone and helped promote Ubisoft’s music video game Just Dance 4. Also, she appeared in commercials of Chobani in 2016 and worked as an ambassador for Bank of America and Molecule as well.

If you’re trying to think of the perfect beauty with brains (and some sporting abilities) – Alex Morgan is what you’re looking for! She has been featured in numerous magazines, including the 2012 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, in a section that featured athletes in body paint.

Morgan also appeared on the cover of ESPN Magazine in May 2015, along with Sydney Leroux and Abby Wambach. She had also been featured in magazines such as Time, Shape, Adweek, and Vogue as well.

Not only on magazine covers, but Morgan also appears on the covers of video games as well. FIFA 16, the popular soccer video game franchise by EA Sports, was the first edition of the series to include women’s international teams. Morgan, along with her then club teammates Christine Sinclair and Steph Catley, appeared on the covers of FIFA 16, alongside Lionel Messi.

In FIFA 19, Morgan is credited with a voice role and featured as an interactive character in a part of the game called The Journey. She also worked as a consultant for EA during the development of the game.

The United States women’s national team’s victory in the 2015 World Cup was celebrated throughout the nation, and the women were hailed as heroes. The national team, which included Morgan, became the first women’s sports team to receive a ticker-tape parade in New York City.

Each player of the team also received a key to the city from the NYC mayor. All the players, including Morgan, were also invited to the White House, where they were praised for their accomplishments.

Besides her athletic performances, Alex Morgan has also been internationally acclaimed for her humanitarian work. Morgan joined the UNICEF Kid Power initiative in 2016, a philanthropic program aimed at fighting global malnutrition.

Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe were also the first two US female soccer players to join the Common Goal campaign, an initiative dedicated to players donating 1% of their wages to soccer-related charities. In her personal life, Alex Morgan is a vegan and had stated that it didn’t feel fair to be eating meat all the time.