Tottenham signing Alex Morgan is groundbreaking footballer, magazine pin-up, movie star and two-time World Cup winner
USA women’s footballer Alex Morgan has signed for Tottenham Hotspur Women on a sensational loan deal, and is set to light up the WSL.
In her homeland, the 31-year-old is revered for her goalscoring exploits that have helped her country win the last two Women’s World Cup tournaments.
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USA World Cup winner Alex Morgan has signed for Tottenham Women on a short-term dealCredit: Getty Images – Getty
On top of that, the Californian-native, nicknamed ‘Baby Horse’, has graced the cover of Sports Illustrated no fewer than three times – baring the flesh in their highly anticipated swimsuit edition and once going completely nude wearing just body paint.
But Morgan is more than just a pretty face, having broken down the boundaries for the women’s game.
She was the first female star to appear on a cover of the FIFA video game series.
SHE’S MARKETABLE
Blessed with good looks, Morgan knows her commercial worth.
And she isn’t afraid to capitalise on her beauty, once walking the catwalk at New York Fashion Week.
Morgan is a magazine cover star – something she admits hopes get men turning on the TV to watch her play.
“I’ve obviously done certain things, like Sports Illustrated swimsuit, that has guys interested in me not for what I put on the field,” Morgan told espnW.
“But at the end of the day, they’re going to turn on the TV next time we have a game.”
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Morgan is one of the most marketable female sports stars on the planetCredit: Getty – Contributor
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Beats by Dre are one of the many companies that sponsor MorganCredit: Courtesy of Beats by Dre
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Morgan appears in an advert for McDonald’sCredit: Courtesy of Mcdonald’s
Morgan is also said to make seven-figures in endorsement deals through companies including Nike, McDonald’s, Tampax, Chapstick, Panasonic, Nationwide, Coca-Cola, and Beats by Dre.
“I like to be authentic about who I am and what I promote.”
FULLY MADE-UP
When Morgan steps on the pitch, she loves to look her best.
So when she appears for Spurs, don’t be surprised to see her wearing full make-up.
That’s a far stretch from her days growing up in San Dimas, where she was a self-confessed tomboy.
“I was the biggest tomboy growing up,” Morgan told Shape.
“Now I love playing with a full face of makeup.” She added.
“When I prepare for a match, it’s like work, even the way I have to shower and put on my makeup.”
And she’s not afraid of stirring the pot – causing controversy by celebrating a goal against England at the 2019 World Cup semi-final by pretending to drink a cup of tea.
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Morgan got into bother with her tea-sipping celebration after scoring against England in the 2019 World Cup semi-finalCredit: Rex Features
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In 2012 Morgan appeared on the catwalk at NY Fashion Week
HONOURED BY FIFA
You know you’ve made it in the world of football when EA Sports make you a cover star of their FIFA game.
And Morgan was given the honour for the 16th edition of the series (for the US cover) appearing alongside Lionel Messi.
It was the first time the popular video game featured women’s soccer, and in Canada Christine Sinclair appeared too.
“It is an incredible honour to be one of the first women featured on the cover of EA SPORTS FIFA,” Morgan said in a press release from EA Sports at the time.
“I know people all over the world play this game and I’m really excited that FIFA 16 is putting such an important spotlight on women’s soccer.
“And now to share the cover with today’s greatest player is surreal.”
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Morgan is the first female footballer to appear on the cover of a FIFA gameCredit: Getty Images – Getty
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Morgan is side-by-side with Lionel Messi on FIFA 16’s official US cover
ACTRESS AND AUTHOR
Her exploits on the pitch, including 107 international goals, are to be marvelled at.
But off the pitch, Morgan, who recently gave birth to baby girl Charlie in May, has been just as successful.
In 2018, she exercised her acting chops in Hollywood movie Alex & Me – playing herself.
But Morgan later revealed she found filmmaking “exhausting”.
“I’m not used to working 10 to 12 hours a day,” she told Pro Soccer USA.
“I’m used to my three or four hours of intense work and then getting the rest of the afternoon off.”
And her children’s book series, The Kicks made the New York Times’ best-seller list.
Better still, it was turned into a TV series by Amazon.
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Morgan shows off baby Charlie on InstagramCredit: Instagram
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In recent years Morgan has had a NY Times best-seller and been a movie starCredit: Getty Images
ONE MISDEMEANOUR
Although she normally has a squeaky-clean image off the pitch, there is one blemish on her record.
In 2017, Morgan and a group of pals were kicked out of Epcot Theme Park in Florida and accused of trespassing.
An Orange County Sheriff’s Office incident report stated the group were “impaired” and that they “were all being very loud and belligerent toward staff around guests.”
Earlier that day, Morgan took to Instagram and posted an image of her group with the caption: “Annual around the world in 8 hours. No big.”
That reference refers to a popular bar-crawling tradition at the theme park.
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Morgan’s squeaky-clean image took a hit in 2017Credit: Reuters
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Morgan was accused of being drunk and rowdy with pals at a theme park three years agoCredit: Getty – Contributor
Extraordinarily, Morgan is said to have claimed that she knew the Orlando SWAT team as she was being removed from Epcot.
She wasn’t charged for the incident, but accepted her error of judgement on Twitter.
Morgan wrote: “I want to apologise for my actions that occurred over the weekend. I will learn from this [and] make sure it does not happen again. #liveandlearn.”
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