American footballer superstar Megan Rapinoe, who recently won the Ballon d'Or, called for Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic to support her in her fight against injustice.
"I want to shout: 'Cristiano [Ronaldo], Lionel [Messi], Zlatan [Ibrahimovic], help me!'" Rapinoe was quoted as saying by France Football, the organisers of the Ballon d'Or.
"These big stars do not engage in anything when there are so many problems in men's football. Do they fear losing everything? They believe that, but it is not true. Who will erase Messi or Ronaldo from world football history for a statement against racism or sexism?"
Among the stars in men's football, Ronaldo had come out in support of Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly, after the defender suffered racial abuse from the fans in the stands. Ronaldo took to Instagram, posting the message: "No to racism and any offense & discrimination".
Rapinoe, who won the golden boot award at this year's FIFA World Cup, has been vocal about the wage gap between the sexes in football, and also against racism, sexism and homophobia.
"This Ballon d'Or rewards both," Rapinoe said after receiving the Ballon d'Or award.
"On the one hand, I am a good player. On the other, my activity away from the pitch brings me support as people understand I am acting to find solutions to our society's problems. The idea is to empower others to speak louder."
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