US World Cup star Megan Rapinoe's response to a question about being older than her teammates shows why she is adored by so many

• Megan Rapinoe, 38, is playing in her fourth FIFA Women's World Cup, looking for her third title.
• She is the elder statesperson on the team, 20 years older than her youngest teammate.

Megan Rapinoe is a hero to many for a myriad of reasons, and her response to a question at the World Cup was just a reminder of why people from countless different backgrounds love her so much. That list now includes people who might be a tad older than their coworkers.

Before the US Women's National Team's second match at the FIFA Women's World Cup against the Netherlands, Fox did a segment on the age diversity of the team's roster. The players range from the 38-year-old Rapinoe, playing in her fourth World Cup, all the way down to the 18-year-old Alyssa Thompson.

When Rapinoe was asked about the age gap, she first referred to herself as a "young, cool, hip mom" to the rest of the team. However, she quickly corrected herself and said, "more like a gay aunt."

Rapinoe has announced that she will retire at the end of the 2023 season. She'll be joining her fiancée, former WNBA star Sue Bird, who retired in 2022. Rapinoe recently joked that there is some "jealousy" when she has to work out while Bird has so much downtime.

The sports power couple have been dating since 2016.

For her part, Thompson told Fox, "age doesn't matter."

"This is the greatest opportunity of my life," Thompson said. "Age doesn't matter. If you are the best, you are the best. You are playing on the world's biggest stage, and it's a dream come true to be able to be doing that."