On July 16, 1982, a legend was born.
Carli Lloyd grew up in Delran, New Jersey, and attended Delran High School where she was an All-American soccer player not once, but twice. After her stellar high school career she took her talents to Rutgers University, where she became the first athlete to be named All-Big East four years in a row. Following her standout career, in 2013 she was inducted into the Rutgers University Hall of Distinguished Alumni and was also inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame in 2017.
Her journey continues as she has too many accomplishments to even list. She's a two-time Olympic gold medalist (2008, 2012), a two-time Women's World Cup champion (2015, 2019), two-time FIFA Player of the Year and third all time in goals by an American in World Cup matches. Needless to say, Lloyd has added herself to the list of legends alongside players like Mia Hamm, Abby Wambach and Michelle Akers.
Now the question is, how much time does she have left?
2015 2019
Happy birthday to 2x World Cup Champion @CarliLloyd pic.twitter.com/vq7atajQfc— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) July 16, 2019
As she is reaching an age near retirement, Carli Lloyd’s focus was on making the best of her special day.
She celebrated her 37th birthday better than anyone the world may have seen. She received a lap dance from Jennifer Lopez, she has a World Cup trophy and she spent this past weekend in Montauk, New York, relaxing and going to the beach with fellow USWNT star Megan Rapinoe.
Talk about living your best life.
A first for everythinghttps://t.co/WtnFVdi0i7
— Carli Lloyd (@CarliLloyd) July 13, 2019
Despite the talk about how much longer Lloyd has to play, she is enjoying every second of her soccer career as she continues to add her name to the record books and change the game for future generations.
Besides, age really is just a number.
Carli Carli Lllooooyd!
Happy Birthday to our fearless co-captain and 2x World Cup Champ, @CarliLloyd! pic.twitter.com/g97paUNP0Y— U.S. Soccer WNT (@USWNT) July 16, 2019