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Megan Rapinoe Calls On Cristiano Ronaldo And Lionel Messi To Support Fight Against Racism

Megan Rapinoe Calls On Cristiano Ronaldo And Lionel Messi To Support Fight Against Racism

US international Megan Rapinoe stressed that both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo must use their platforms to help usher in change.

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz

Megan Rapinoe has urged Barcelona captain Lionel Messi and Juventus superstar Cristiano Ronaldo to do more in the battle against racism.

The 35-year-old American winger called out both Messi and Ronaldo in 2019 for not speaking out against sexism in football.

And Rapinoe has previously insisted that Ronaldo and Messi could do more in the fight against racism thanks to their "stupendous level of popularity."

The Reign captain has argued that everybody is responsible for making change happen, saying that "we must use our own voice to stop discrimination."

Rapinoe told RMC Sport: "It is not just black players who have to talk about racism, not only gay players who have to talk about homophobia, not only women who have to talk about pay inequality.

"We are all responsible, we must use our own voice to stop discrimination, to stop those we face.

PA
PA

"It really is not up to the people who are already oppressed to make sure they shut down a system they are going through. This is not how there will be real social change. We know there must be everyone's collaboration.

"We saw that in the United States."

Rapinoe, who has been a vocal champion on LGBT-related issues, showered Manchester United star Marcus Rashford with praise for his incredible activism against child food poverty in England.

However, the 2019 Women's Ballon d'Or winner singled out the likes of Messi, Ronaldo and Antoine Griezmann to do more with their respective popularity and platforms.

PA
PA

Rapinoe added: "I think Rashford and the others in England and elsewhere have done amazing things.

"...When you see the commitment of certain athletes, like Serena Williams and LeBron James here in the United States.

"It is important that people listen to Rashford, [Lionel] Messi, or [Cristiano] Ronaldo, [Antoine] Griezmann... It is important to understand that always they will be seen as global models.

"As people listen, use this platform for good. You saw what Rashford did in his country, it had an incredible impact, especially during the pandemic. That doesn't mean that you have to talk about all the problems all the time.

"Find something that you are passionate about, use your power and influence because you can really make a big impact as a great soccer player."

Rapinoe has also dismissed the idea that she wants to "earn the same salary as Messi" amid her push for equal pay in the sport.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: NWSL, Football, Barcelona, Serie A, Lionel Messi, National Women's Soccer League, Juventus, Spain, Megan Rapinoe, Cristiano Ronaldo, La Liga, Italy