Amy Wambach, who was a staple to US Women’s Soccer since 2011, played in her last match on December 16th of 2015 before retiring from the sport.
As a forward, Wambach holds the record as the highest all-time goal scorer for the national team. She also holds the world record for international goals with 184 scored for both female and male soccer players. Wambach’s career spans far outside of her time with the US Women’s Soccer Team and it’s a part of her life she’s bound to miss.
Before Wambach’s final match she left fans with a commercial that resonates stronger than the titles she holds and the records she’s broken.
Her message was simple: Forget Me.
It’s an admirable quality in an athlete, celebrity, musician, or anyone who works alongside a team or for something larger than themselves, to do so selflessly. The message Wambach sent in her commercial was the most selfless message of all.
“Forget my number, forget my name, forget I ever existed. Forget the medals won, the records broken, and the sacrifices made. I want to leave a legacy where the ball keeps rolling forward, where the next generation accomplishes things so great that I am no longer remembered. So forget me, because the day I am forgotten, is the day we will succeed.”
Wambach’s last match was emotional for herself, her teammates, and fans that followed her journey for years but the light within her and the beautiful act of selflessness she walked off the field with will be something that her fans will hold on to forever.